The Cañon City School District formally entered into a purchase agreement with 7 Brew Coffee on Dec. 9 for the sale of the property located at Steinmeier Avenue and East Main Street, which previously housed the Four Mile Schoolhouse.
“Ours is going to be smaller than a typical location because the others I’ve seen are on a larger lot,” said realtor and school board president Robin Reeser. “And I believe their engineers changed the schematic a bit so it would fit.”
The coffee chain, located largely in the southeastern United States, has been expanding westward in recent years, but recently opened locations in the Denver and Colorado Springs areas.
Though some substantial preliminary investigation work already has been conducted on the property, Reeser noted that several phases of inspections are slated to commence in the coming months.
“This isn’t done and done,” said Superintendent Adam Hartman. “They still have some work they need to do…with CDOT (Colorado Department of Transportation) and the City of Cañon City.”
The property, which was listed for $425,000, first came back to the district’s attention in 2021 when a resident offered to purchase the land.
The schoolhouse had a long history in Cañon City, serving as an educational institution for many years until it became the site of Fremont County Head Start in 1971. The building was closed in 1989 and has remained largely empty since then.
After conducting a market analysis, Reeser realized the property was worth much more to the district than sitting by as a passive piece of land.
Reeser went on to note that, in the past several years, the surrounding area has experienced a sort of revitalization with the construction of the new Jewett’s Liquor, Champion Xpress Carwash, and Les Schwab Tire Center and the value of the property on which the school stands has continued to increase.
In the summer of 2024, the district sent out an RFP to conduct an abatement on the building, and asbestos was quickly found because of the property’s age. In September 2024, another RFP was sent out and a company was enlisted to complete the demolition of the building.
Demolition of the schoolhouse was completed in April, and the site was listed shortly after by a local realtor.
Though the final purchase price is not available until the sale is finalized, the district anticipates using the funds to continue the work that’s been done within its employee workforce housing initiative, which unveiled its first two units in February.
The initiative was designed to soothe the burn of moving to a rural district, and two populated homes already sit near the old Harrison Elementary School on North Cottonwood, constructed by Dreamwood Homes.
“The district has an ongoing need around district housing, and this could potentially support that,” Hartman said. “Our greatest hope, with the money, is to turn this asset that we weren’t using into something that could help us become an even more attractive employer and that means workforce housing.”
Hartman went on to note that, with spring approaching, the district will hold its breath as it awaits the finalization of its financial picture moving into 2026.
Reeser added that there may not be another major update for the next 9-12 months, depending on the permits needed from both the City of Canon City and CDOT.
“It may not even be a slam dunk in 2026,” she said. “There are so many boxes that need to be checked.”
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