The Vignes School is being renovated. The project started at the end of July with work done on the south wall at its current location in the Heritage Village at Big Creek. The south wall, and entrance, was completed first. After pulling off the old siding, members of the Door County Historical Society found the wood underneath to be rotted to the point of needing replacement. President Bailey Koepsel says the work is drawing a crowd.

The crew is now focusing its efforts on the siding of the building, sanding and priming in anticipation of a new coat of the school’s signature white paint. 

The building stopped serving students in the 1970s and served as the town hall for Clay Banks before being donated to the Heritage Village in 1994. It acts as a meeting place and hosts presentations from a variety of groups. Koepsel says the renovation work has been planned for years and is the only major project expected for some time. The Door County Historical Society has previously put a new roof on the building and restored its interior and wood flooring. 

Rotted wood underneath south wall of the schoolhouse.

Sanding and priming near the windows.