Genesis Lara Tucson Unified School District has agreed to sell its former Julia Keen Elementary School site to a local nonprofit after a fire that pushed up the demolition timeline for structures on the property.
The former Julia Keen Elementary School 9.7-acre site is at 3538 E. Ellington Place, near South Alvernon Way and East Silverlake Road in the Barrio Centro neighborhood. “Flowers and Bullets Collective decided that it would be in the best interest for Barrio Centro and the Julia Keen community that take on the demolition so that we have the autonomy and the say on what structures of the building will be kept,” F&B wrote in a letter Nodine read to the governing board.
The event will take place on campus, 2600 S. Eighth Ave., on Friday, March 10, from 4:45 to 9 p.m. It will also feature performances by 10 mariachi and ballet folklorico groups, including Mariachi Aztlan de Pueblo High School. The event is free to attend and open to the public. The local schools were Flowing Wells High School of Flowing Wells Unified School District and Senita Valley Elementary School and Vail Blended Learning, both of the Vail Unified School District.