Stacie Grissom and Sean Wilson lived in New York for nearly a decade, then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
In early 2020, Grissom was pregnant with her first child and working in marketing at BarkBox, while Wilson was working as an orthopedic surgeon at an NYC hospital.
Meanwhile, after seeing the state of the city, Grissom realized he was ready to return to his hometown of Franklin, Indiana, about 30 miles from downtown Indianapolis.
“I wanted to return home and be with my family because I reevaluated that the most important thing is people,” Grissom told CNBC Make It.
“We found the family of our choice in New York. New York is the greatest city in the world, but we had to go where our family was.”
The couple officially moved into the school in September 2024.
kate wilson
Two months after her son was born, Grissom contacted a real estate agent friend in Franklin and told her to look at a “weird old house.”
“I told him to come up with a cleverer, better way and send us a fixer,” Grissom said. “His father saw the school for sale and immediately said, ‘Send it to Stacey.’”
Since Grissom and Wilson were still in New York at the time, they asked their parents to check out the property for them.
Grissom said the building was a school for local children between 1914 and 1934. After the school closed it was used as a barn.
The school was originally Union Joint Graded School No. Named 9.
Johnson County Historical Museum
Grissom’s father had experience running a commercial real estate business, so she knew he would give her an honest and professional opinion about the school’s situation.
After receiving approval from their parents, Grissom and Wilson made an offer to the school without ever seeing it in person, and it was accepted within 24 hours.
“If my parents hadn’t agreed, I wouldn’t have bought it because I knew it would take a village to get this project going,” she says.
‘It’s like a Midwestern castle in the middle of a cornfield in Indiana.’
A week after Grissom and Wilson closed on their former school building, they saw it in person for the first time.
“I think I was a lot more naive back then than I am now,” says Grissom, “but I was so excited to see this piece and its potential.” “We could see that there could be huge windows, high ceilings and open spaces where large families could gather together during the holidays.”
“It’s like a Midwestern castle in the middle of a cornfield in Indiana. Now it’s a beautiful little brick building that’s home,” she adds.
It was used as a barn for a long time after the school closed.
Stacey Grissom and Shawn Wilson
The real work began after the couple closed their previous school. By the fall of 2021, the couple had built the school from scratch, but renovations they thought would take two years ended up taking three.
The couple was still living in New York at the time.
“Things went a little slow, but the new roof started in February 2022 and everything started moving, but it ended up taking three years because we were basically building a new house inside the old shell of the building,” Grissom said. says
There is a school in the middle of the cornfields in the couple’s hometown.
Stacey Grissom and Shawn Wilson
Grissom declined to comment on how much the couple spent on the renovations, but said they are still in the works and not fully complete.
While cleaning up the property, the couple and their contractor found random items, including a board holding an old chalkboard with the word “chicken coop” written on it.
“It was really nice to see it because it was such a beautiful little school built by farmers for the children of this rural area, and the community was really proud of the school,” says Grissom.
In total, the school building is approximately 9,000 square feet.
Stacey Grissom and Shawn Wilson
The couple had to start the school almost from scratch, but were able to keep the flooring of one classroom, all the brickwork, the original doors and the fountain they wanted to restore.
“It was definitely a big challenge that it took so long and having to renovate from afar was a challenge,” says Grissom. “We did it, and I’m glad we got through it, but there won’t be any more old buildings for a while.”
Despite how difficult the renovation was for the couple, Grissom said her favorite part was working with her father.
“From how to work with other contractors to how to do the job yourself, it was really cool to do my dad’s renovation boot camp. We learned a lot of trade-like things over the three years,” she adds. .
The couple’s kitchen and living room were originally two classrooms.
Stacey Grissom and Shawn Wilson
To pay homage to the former school, the couple used the same colors that were painted on the walls when the original school opened. Grissom also created two mosaics for the entrance that bear the school’s name and founding date.
“We’re trying to get as much school furniture as we can to put back into the school,” Grissom says of the décor.
‘I never dreamed that my home would become my job’
Grissom said nothing came easy during the renovation, but a highlight of the experience was being able to focus full time on serving as a content creator and sharing her journey at the school on social media.
“It was fun documenting this process and finding this old home improvement community online. I never thought my home could become a career,” she says. “It’s great to be able to monetize storytelling while also getting advice and having a community of people who love restoring old things.”
The couple also had to install new windows and new floors in most of the rooms.
Stacey Grissom and Shawn Wilson
With ongoing renovations underway, the couple and their now two children moved into the home in September of this year.
“Moving for school was easier than moving into the New York City apartment we’d ever had,” says Grissom. “It was great to wake up and see the sunrise over the cornfields. It’s going to be a whirlwind for a while here, but it was crazy to finally get the place ready after three years of thinking and putting all our energy into it. Sweat and tears.”
The school currently has four bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms on the 4,000-square-foot upper level. The couple still has their 4,000-square-foot basement and are wondering what to do with it.
The building served as a school from 1914 to 1934.
Stacey Grissom and Shawn Wilson
The best part about finally moving back to school and back home is that the kids will grow up with their families, Grissom says.
“After going through the pandemic and all the stress and anxiety, all of us facing death at a much earlier age than most of my generation, it completely changed my brain. It’s so beautiful to see my parents healthy. “The kids are just happy and appreciative of the little things,” she adds.
After moving a few weeks ago, Grissom said she realizes it’s a long road ahead, but she’ll go through it again.
“I never want to lose the innocence that made us say we wanted to buy a school and it would be our home,” she says.
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