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Our Story

Wadsworth grew up in this building

For generations, people came through these doors to learn. Now they come back to work, create, see a show, eat, host an event and, from late 2026, stay the night.

What Changed

The building most of Wadsworth still calls Central School kept its brick, its windows and its place on the square. What happens inside is different.

  1. 01

    It was built for classrooms.

    Those rooms are now office suites, studios and places to create, with the tall windows and high ceilings a 1907 classroom brings.

  2. 02

    The O. J. Work Auditorium held band concerts, class plays and town meetings.

    It reopened on December 5, 2025 as the Celestia Theater, restored and re-equipped, with about 900 seats.

  3. 03

    The building fed and gathered a whole school.

    The Event Center at Wadsworth Square and Flame Backstage Grille & Bar now hold meetings, banquets, markets, workshops and dinner before the show.

  4. 04

    Students went home at the last bell.

    From late 2026, furnished theater suites let visiting performers and guests stay the night a few steps from the stage.

Our Vision

Our vision is to preserve and restore this historic landmark. This will allow us to create a mixed-use campus featuring a restored theater, art studios, event/conference center, shops, and office suites. We are excited to bring this building back to life with a modern twist.

The Building

Wadsworth was founded in 1814 and named for Elijah Wadsworth. What Wadsworth knows as Central Intermediate School was built as Union School in 1870, a wood structure that was condemned and rebuilt in brick in 1907. The original 1907 section, part of the first, second and third floors, is still intact today.

Union School became Central School and housed kindergarten through twelfth grade in one building through the 1940s, then became a high school and junior high, and later a high school only. After many transitions and additions it became Central Intermediate School, home to sixth through eighth graders and eventually fifth and sixth graders.

After the 2025 school year the building was purchased by private investors and reopened by the Wadsworth Square Foundation, with the goal of keeping it in use for generations.

The 1907 front doors under the carved Wadsworth Square Commons lettering, mums and pumpkins on the steps

What Stayed

The oak banisters, the built-in cabinets, the corridor clock and the gym backboard are the same ones generations of students walked past. Tap a photo to open it full size.

1870 to 2027

A wood schoolhouse, a brick one, a century of classes, and the plan that keeps the doors open. Gold entries are phases still ahead, from the Foundation's master plan.

  1. 1814

    Wadsworth is founded

    The town takes its name from Elijah Wadsworth.

  2. 1870

    Union School

    A wood-frame school goes up on this site. It is later condemned.

  3. 1907

    The brick building

    Union School is rebuilt in brick. The 1907 first, second and third floors are still intact today.

  4. 1940s

    Central School

    Kindergarten through twelfth grade under one roof, then a high school and junior high, then a high school only.

  5. 2000s

    Central Intermediate School

    After many transitions and additions, the building serves sixth through eighth graders, and eventually fifth and sixth.

  6. 2025

    A new owner

    The school district moves out. Local investors Bob Thurber and Todd Baughman buy the building, and the Wadsworth Square Foundation, a 501(c)(3), leads the reuse.

  7. Dec 2025

    Celestia Theater opens

    The O. J. Work Auditorium reopens after a $1.5 million restoration as a 900-seat venue named for Laura Celestia Spelman Rockefeller.

  8. 2026

    Work

    Renovated office and studio suites open for lease. Flame Backstage Grille & Bar opens beside the theater.

  9. Late 2026

    Stay

    Furnished theater suites open for short stays.

    Ahead

  10. 2027

    Belong

    Phased work continues: parking, park space and more common areas across the campus.

    Ahead

The People Behind It

When the school district announced it was moving out, the board asked for proposals. Three bids came in during December 2024. In January 2025 the board chose Wadsworth Square Commons, a plan from local investors Bob Thurber and Todd Baughman that offered $300,000 in cash for a property valued at roughly $3.7 million, with no request for tax relief.

The Wadsworth Square Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3), leads the restoration. The Foundation invested $1.5 million to restore and re-equip the auditorium, including more than $450,000 in sound and lighting, and reopened it as the Celestia Theater on December 5, 2025.

The office and studio suites came next. The theater suites follow in late 2026, and the campus keeps growing through 2027 with parking, park space and more shared rooms.

The FoundationWays to Belong
Cash offered for the school, no tax relief asked
$300,000
What the property was valued at
$3.7M
Put into restoring the auditorium
$1.5M
Of that, in sound and lighting
$450,000
The Foundation leading the work
501(c)(3)
When the campus plan finishes
2027

Before

A walk through the empty school, filmed before the work began. Lockers, long corridors, the auditorium with the seats still out.

The after video comes when the campus is finished.

Before: a walk through the empty Central Intermediate School, filmed before the work began. 2 minutes 54 seconds.

Be Part of the Next Chapter

seven spaces available now

The next chapter is written by the people who move in. Suites and studios with tall 1907 classroom windows, built out for the tenant.

See Available SpacesSchedule a Tour

Or call the leasing office at 330-485-3466, Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM.