Visit the historic Gunnisonville one-room schoolhouse in DeWitt Township
Tour the historic Gunnisonville one-room schoolhouse in DeWitt Township.
DEWITT TWP. – Lance and Claire Korhorn were already renovating a historic one-room schoolhouse when they purchased the century-old Gunnisonville School on East Clark Road two years ago.
The Gove Schoolhouse in Ada has been in the family for 100 years, and the Korhorns were almost finished converting it into a home. They spent a year and a half researching and updating its history before listing it as a rental on Airbnb.com.
The couple, who live in the Grand Rapids area, wanted to do the same with the former Gunnisonville School.
“Our plan was to gather as many single-class schools as possible,” said Lance Korhorn. “They have such a cool history and they have such an Americana vibe.”
Until nearly 60 years ago, the Gunnisonville school at 2016 E. Clark Road housed students and teachers. Before the Korhorns bought it, the roughly half-acre property was rezoned for residential use, but the project proved too challenging, especially because of the distance they lived from there, Lance Korhorn said.
“It was mainly the distance,” he said. “We did most of the work on our school building ourselves. You start to do the math, an hour there, an hour back, and then you forget a tool, and the logistics just didn’t make sense to us.”
At the end of August, the couple put the schoolhouse up for sale again. The list price is $175,000.
The school building still looks good
Every standing one-room schoolhouse in Michigan has a rich history, and the Gunnisonville School is no exception.
Before the Lansing School District sold it over a decade ago, hundreds of students attended the 1,200-square-foot brick building. The school building is a historic landmark and still looks the part. Inside, more than two dozen desks line up in front of a chalkboard. An American flag hangs on one wall next to a stove.
Everything in the building, including historical photos and old books, will be sold after the sale, Korhorn said.
The school bell still works and there are two working toilet blocks and a carriage house on site.
“It’s truly one of the coolest school buildings I’ve seen in Michigan,” Korhorn said.
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A “great opportunity” for the right buyer
For the right buyer, the property is a “great opportunity,” said Korhorn.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for someone who lives there,” he said. “There are a lot of people who live there, went to school there and are still here. It would be cool if someone who lives there would really take advantage of it.”
The schoolhouse would make a wonderful home or small business, Korhorn said.
He said the Gove Schoolhouse is still receiving bookings a year after it was listed as a rental property.
“I think we will look back on this project as one of the greatest times of our lives,” Korhorn said. “It was fun and now it’s been so successful, more than we could have imagined.”
Real estate agent Joel Baker, who is representing the listing, said several prospective buyers have toured the schoolhouse since it came on the market.
“We looked seriously three or four times and then I think two people went through it,” Baker said. “The two buyers who looked at it were excited about the possibilities it offers.”
Korhorn is confident that they will find the right buyer.
“It really wouldn’t take much” to convert the schoolhouse into a home, he said. “We’re so excited to see what it becomes. I think it could be great, whether it’s an Airbnb, a little cafe or bakery or something community-run. I think it would be the coolest place for it.”
Contact reporter Rachel Greco at [email protected]. Follow her on X @GrecoatLSJ .
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