There's compelling evidence of the badly needed repairs at Trenton Central High School.
But a proposed rehab or demolition of the existing school building is on hold, for now.
The pictures tell the story, as documented by photographer Cie Stroud, in a report on Monday by the Times of Trenton.
Trenton Central High School first opened its doors in Jan. 1932. At the time, TCHS was considered to be among the largest and most expensive schools in the nation, with a total price tag topping $3 million.
The school's iconic clock tower is a Trenton landmark. That's just one of a host of reasons why the fate of the historic building remains in limbo.
The New Jersey Schools Development Authority (SDA) is holding off on a proposed $150 million project to build a new school on the TCHS athletic fields and then demolish most of the old school. Plans called for the tower to be preserved as part of an athletic field house.
The proposal is at odds with some local residents who would rather see the building renovated and saved from the wrecking ball.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
According to the Times report, Trenton School District's experts say the problems in the building run deep, citing worn and corroded interior drain pipes, crumbling ceilings, leaking roofs, failing radiators and outdated electrical equipment.
"This is not poor maintenance. This is just deterioration over a long period of time," Everett Collins, Executive Director of buildings and grounds, told the Times.
