TAMPA, Fla. — Work continues on the rebuild of the former Lee Elementary Magnet School in Tampa.
"This is probably one of the toughest projects we ever had to tackle," said the project's architect, Sol Fleischman Jr.
- Rebuild unique as original exterior walls being retained
- Students expected to return to class on site in January 2021
- More Hillsborough County stories
The historic school was nearly destroyed in a fire after Hurricane Irma in 2017.
Since then, the school has worked to rebuild and changed its name to Tampa Heights Elementary.
That rebuild, construction workers on site told us, has proven challenging.
"What's unique about this job is we've kept all the exterior walls, so we're literally building a building within a building," said Jake Nellis of J.E. Dunn Construction.
But with metal beams holding up the facade, the school hasn't been easy to renovate.
"It's very delicate," said Fleischman. "If it wasn't braced, it would have already fallen."
The new Tampa Heights Elementary holds a special place for Fleischman.
Back in the early 1920s, his mom went to school there.
Fleischman said meeting the requirements for the historical structure while also bringing the school up to code has only added to the challenge.
Once the work is done, Tampa Heights Elementary is expected to look like it used to in the front of the school.
But in the back of the building, there will be a new three-story entryway that meets the latest security standards.
Students are expected to move into their new school by Jan. 2021.
