Fairhope held a ceremony at the historic K-1 Center near downtown on Monday to kick off a multimillion-dollar renovation project that will house Hatch Fairhope in the near future.

The K-1 Center, originally built in 1925, served as the city's original schoolhouse and source for education for decades before being closed in 2011. Following its closure, the City of Fairhope acquired the building and property in 2018 for $4 million from the Baldwin County Public School System. With the help of the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance (BCEDA), the city awarded a $6.1 million contract to Rogers & Willard to preserve the historic K-1 Center and transform it into the headquarters of Hatch Fairhope. Funding for the revitalization project comes from $3.5 million in federal and state grants along with $2 million from Innovate Alabama, secured by the BCEDA in partnership with Hatch Fairhope.

"This project represents both a farewell and a bold new beginning," Fairhope Mayor Sherry Sullivan said in a statement. "The K-1 Center holds cherished memories for generations of Fairhope residents, and while we say goodbye to its familiar walls, we look forward to the opportunities this space will bring to our community's future."

Hatch Fairhope is a group that provides tech entrepreneurs resources including co-working spaces and educational programs in an effort to support technology-based startups and foster economic growth in Baldwin County. City leaders and Hatch representatives said one of the biggest priorities in the project is to preserve the history of the K-1 Center while also giving it a new life.

"While we remember the special place this historic building has held in our community," said Lee Lawson, president and CEO of the BCEDA, in a statement, "we are thrilled to reimagine the K-1 Center and the new opportunities for growth that these renovated spaces will bring to our community, by creating a new home for entrepreneurial energy and community collaboration."

Along with Mayor Sullivan, city officials, representatives of Hatch and state leaders were also in attendance for the ceremony, including Reps. Donna Givens and Jennifer Fidler, as well as state Sen. Greg Albritton. To commemorate the start of the project, each person signed a symbolic wall that was later torn down with sledgehammers.

The BCEDA said the building's exterior will be preserved and the project is expected to be completed in 2026.