Old home ec. building razed with controlled burn

By Editor | August 15, 2025 |

Fire and billows of smoke rise from the remains of the old home economics building in Rockford during a controlled burn by the Hanover and Rockford volunteer fire departments. Photos submitted by Sandy Goggans

By Christa Jennings
Senior staff writer

Rockford’s old home economics building located near the corner of Nixburg Road and Communication Drive was razed by a controlled burn Monday evening, with Hanover and Rockford volunteer fire departments overseeing the fire.

The Town of Rockford notified residents that evening via social media that roads in the area would be closed to through traffic during the controlled burn with an active fire department presence in the area.

The old building was destroyed via the controlled burn after years of trying to salvage or sell the building. Discussions were held and actions taken by the Rockford Town Council off and on over the year, initially whether to try to preserve the building or to sell the wood and have someone tear it down.

In December of 2020, Rockford Mayor Scott White mentioned the roof of the building suffering some damage, with a storm blowing some shingles off the roof. At that time, after discussion the Council approved advertising to accept bids to sell the wood from the building only, with it being sold in whole or in parts.

Later, in August of 2021, White provided an update after the building had been sold to someone on GovDeals. He stated that the money from that transaction was deposited into the town’s account, but that the buyer had not responded to multiple contact attempts regarding when they would begin demolition of the building.

As such, he said the money would be returned to the buyer. At that time he further stated that he knew in the past some had expressed an interest in preserving the building and keeping it, but that the building was currently “just sitting there” and the town would need to decide how to proceed.

In February of 2022, White said that some individuals who were going to tear down the old home economics building had changed their minds after looking at it, stating that it would be too trouble to tear it down.

At that time, during that Council meeting White said that a representative with the University of Alabama was working on helping the town get a grant to “hopefully restore that whole building.”

However, fast forwarding to May of 2024, White and the Council were once again revisiting the status of the building and tearing it down rather than trying to restore and preserve it.

At that meeting last year White mentioned the deplorable condition of the building and said that the town could save what it could, but that it was time to move forward with getting rid of the run-down building.

During discussion it was stated that there was significant water damage to the building and that it was dangerous to walk across the floor because it was not structurally sound.

White said that he would get some prices for tearing down the building, adding that he also spoke with a county commissioner and County Engineer Tad Eason about the possibility of the county helping to raze the building.

However, during the May meeting of the Rockford Town Council, White stated that the old home economics building at the old school grounds would be burned down as a controlled burn by the fire department.

That act was finally carried out Monday, August 11, after years of discussion and alternative action, bringing a close to the facility’s place in Rockford’s and Coosa County schools’ history.