RICHMOND, Va. -- For more than a year, Richmond families have only seen the skeleton of the charred William Fox Elementary School, nestled in Richmond's Fan District.
For the first time Wednesday, school officials allowed cameras and reporters inside for a tour of what's left behind.
Still remaining in the wake of the devastating blaze on February 11, 2022, were signs of the children and teachers that once filled the space with life: a student's chair in a former classroom, lines of hangers where kids hung their coats, and even writing on chalkboards.
During a tour of the school, RPS Chief Operating Officer Dana Fox pointed out the exact spot of the fire's origin.
“That’s where the fire started," Fox said, pointing to a third-story mezzanine that was used as a classroom space. “So, on the other side of this brick chimney where it’s most charred, where the mechanical and electrical systems were.”
The fire also quickly spread to the auditorium on the second floor, one of the most significantly damaged areas of the building. The historic copula at the top of the school collapsed, crashing through the second floor, and landing in the foyer.
Fox said stabilization efforts are complete, and now crews are focused on the actual rebuild. She said the outside walls will stay the same, but the inside will get a big makeover.
"All of your exterior, all of the brickwork, all of the stone, that will all remain. We're not adding anything to that. We're not demoing any exterior walls," Fox said. “It will look like a 21st-century school while still having that historical fabric and elements that Fox is known for.”
She said the next step involves installing a permanent roof within the next couple of months. The school has remained exposed to the elements since last February.
Fox said crews ran into some delays due to the Richmond Fire Department maintaining control of the building between February and July of last year as they investigated the fire's cause, which turned out to be inconclusive.
“It’s absolutely a setback in order to proactively preserve the building, so we're facing a lot more work than we likely would have had if we would have received the building in March," Fox said. "I can't quantify the day-by-day damage that was done, but certainly, any building or structure that sits open for a number of months without any proactive work happening is going to suffer catastrophically."
As to how the district will fund renovations, that's still in question.
Fox said RPS is currently in negotiations with its insurance company VACorp. The latest offer from VACorp indicated a potential $15 million shortfall from the cost of the project. However, she said the district is waiting for the results of a January reassessment and estimate of the building.
School Board Member Jonathan Young previously told CBS 6 that RPS lost some power in its negotiations due to issues with failing fire alarm panels. As reported by CBS 6, at the time of the fire, Fox's fire alarms were in faulty condition and the school remained in violation of several fire code violations that were never fixed or re-inspected for compliance.
But Fox said that wasn’t true.
"RPS has never verbally or in writing been notified of any negligence or anything that would take away from what they would provide for us for Fox," Fox said.
2nd District School Board Member Mariah White and 2nd District Councilwoman Katherine Jordan, who both represent the Fox community as elected officials, were present for Wednesday's tour to discuss efforts to fund the $15 million gap.
They said the city will give the School Board $200 million from general obligation bonds this July which can be used for school construction projects.
“When it comes to what comes next, that’s a school board decision. I think from what we can see, there are two shovel-ready projects: George Wythe and Fox," Councilor Jordan said. "City council has our own decisions and priorities to go through with our budget. We have community centers, new fire stations, we have a lot of needs for our general obligation bonds."
But members of the Fox Parent-Teacher Association have pushed for the city to fund the Fox rebuild so that $15 million could go toward other construction projects across the city such as building a new George Wythe High and renovations for Woodville Elementary.
However, White said the board will have to make decisions about which projects to fund, "even if we have to do a little bit of increments of each school."
“So, what we would do is prioritize all the projects, and of course, as I represent the 2nd district, I will be making a motion for $15 million of that $200 million to continue the project at Fox," White said. "I only speak for one district, which is the 2nd district, so my priority will be Fox of course."
The hope is to have students back on Hanover Avenue in 2025.
“We are Fox strong," White said.
