This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
PROVO - The Maeser School is in the spotlight again, but this time it has nothing to do with an old handwritten deed. Crews from cable home-and-garden giant HGTV will be at the historic school site today and Thursday to film restoration work on the building. It will be presented during a future public-service announcement. HGTV's Restore America initiative also is dishing out $50,000 to the Provo Housing Authority to assist the school's conversion into a low-income apartment complex for seniors. "It's a total delight and pleasure," said Doug Carlson, Provo Housing Authority director. "We were selected in a highly competitive grant-application process." Built in 1898, Maeser School is one of only 12 sites chosen for HGTV's Restore America initiative. Carlson said more than 100 applications were made for the grant. The historic Provo grade school recently made headlines when an old deed surfaced that threatens to put a hiccup in plans for the site. The deed maintains that an acre on the site must be kept as a child's playground - or be returned to the heir. Officials and attorneys still are sorting out what role the deed will play. - Todd Hollingshead