Councilman Arvis Dawson, D-5th, called the neighborhood's determination to keep the school from falling "government at its best."

"When people speak, the council listens," Dawson said. "You changed the minds of the people up here and that's the way it's supposed to be."

One resident of Roosevelt's neighborhood wasn't surprised by the power of persuasion the community movement exhibited.

"I'm glad we did what I know we're capable of and made it happen for us," Charissa Barnes said. "I believe the building is -- and will continue to be -- a valuable landmark in the community."

A grassroots effort to save the facility rose up in full force in late July when both Elkhart Community Schools and the city administration seemed resigned to tearing down the former school.

Until that point, residents had believed a renovation plan of Elkhart Housing Partnership's was moving forward to turn the building into a multi-use space with apartments on the second and third floors and commercial and community space on the bottom.

Neither the school district nor the city were willing to maintain the building while those renovations plans were pursued. The cost of maintenance and demolition was too great a risk, city and school officials had said.

But a move by the city's Historical & Cultural Preservation Commission in August put a temporary stay on the building -- buying Roosevelt supporters additional time to bend the ears of city officials.

At the request of local residents and the state's Historical Landmarks Foundation, the commission pursued the building's historic classification.

The community around the building rallied, and it was the commission and IHLF's efforts that brought Roosevelt before city council, Rod Roberson, D-At-Large, said. Roberson was instrumental in uniting the community to save the school.

"I hope the community continues to remain engaged," he said. "Because without you guys this doesn't happen."

With the historic designation question on the table, the city began to evaluate the situation, said Wayne Kramer, spokesman for Mayor Dave Miller.

While the mayor had spoken in favor of demolishing Roosevelt previously, Miller has maintained all along he would support keeping the building if it didn't come at a risk to taxpayers.

The historic status solves that problem, Kramer said. Taxpayers will not pay for demolition through the city or through the school district's bond, he said.

"There is no way the building can be torn down with this designation," he said. "We think everyone wins this way -- and that is really why the mayor and the administration came out in support of it."

Many members of the Elkhart City Council said Monday night they also initially favored Roosevelt's demolition. It was their faith in David Young, executive director of the Housing Partnership, that turned them around, they said.

"This is a vote of confidence in David and Elkhart Housing Partnership that will carry through," Councilman Stan Glanders, R-3rd, said. "There is a lot on the line and I hope it doesn't come back to bite us. You have our full support, David."

Janet Ermis, chairwoman of the historical commission, was smiling over the council's vote Monday night.

"It's like being brought in at the bottom of the ninth with two outs," she said. "But this time we hit a home run."

Linda Roebuck, president of the Prairie East Neighborhood Association, thanked council members for their votes, calling Roosevelt a "diamond in the rough."

"We are a struggling neighborhood trying to maintain," she said. "When you take a cornerstone out of the neighborhood that Roosevelt provides us you are doing nothing but destroying us."

Young said one of the reasons he came to work for the housing partnership was the possibility of renovating Roosevelt.

EHP already has put about $70,000 into pre-development costs at the building. He expects the total project to be between $3 million and $5 million, to be funded through tax credits from the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority.

The site's new historic status will also allow EHP to seek historic tax credits for the project, Young said. EHP should find out whether it will receive that funding next summer.

"To keep the building safe and secure while we seek those funds, the Housing Partnership will move from its current office at Cornerstone to Roosevelt," Young said.

A $50,000 loan from the city's redevelopment commission's Aurora Capital Fund will cover utility and maintenance costs until then.

Young ended his comments to the council with a public plea.

"If you see something happening around that building that shouldn't be happening, tell someone," he said.

"You're not going to hurt our building. We're not going to let that happen. If you do that -- we'll work as hard as we can."

The council chambers filled with applause.

Contact Bridget Levitz at blevitz@etruth.com.