The new owners of the old Laurel High School started by cleaning, and the building turned up things nobody expected. Books of report cards from the 1930s were still inside. They came from the old North School, which was torn down decades ago. "We love this place. The more we come here and clean, the more we appreciate the history," co-owner Just Humphrey told the Laurel Outlook. "How cool is it that we own a school."
The brick building at 410 Colorado Ave. was built in 1910. It sold this summer for far less than anyone had offered two years ago. The low price wasn't a judgment on the building. It came from a housing plan that couldn't cover its own costs. The ideas that replaced that plan mix uses, and several of them need approval from the City of Laurel. That means the people living around the school now have a real say in what it becomes, starting with an open house on Friday, Oct. 16.
A million-dollar plan that couldn't cover its rent
The district has been trying to sell this block for a while. In 2023 the building was listed for $1.18 million. By early 2024 the Laurel School Board had two offers, one for $1 million and one for $1,050,000. Both buyers planned to turn the brick building into multifamily housing. The board voted unanimously to send counteroffers to both, so it would have a backup if one buyer dropped out.
Neither deal closed. KTVQ reported in July 2026 that the two buyers had offered about $1.1 million for a condo conversion. They backed out when the numbers didn't work, because they said they couldn't charge enough rent to cover their costs. The district didn't want to keep paying for the building either. "It's just not an efficient way to use taxpayer dollars, so we'd rather get rid of the building," Superintendent Matt Torix told the station.
| When | What happened at 410 Colorado Ave. |
|---|---|
| 1910 | Laurel's original high school is built |
| 2023 | Listed for $1.18 million |
| Early 2024 | Offers of $1 million and $1,050,000, both for multifamily housing |
| November 2025 | Building goes vacant as district offices move out |
| July 13, 2026 | Online auction opens with a $75,000 starting bid |
| Aug. 21, after the July auction | Sale to Locomotive LLC closes at about $150,000 |
| Friday, Oct. 16 | Owners' community open house, 4 to 6 p.m. |
The district's administration offices moved to the old South School at 606 S. 5th St., and the Colorado Avenue building has been empty since November 2025. Torix told the Outlook where the auction money will go: "We'll use the money to fix problems at the high school."
The scale shows how far the price fell. KTVQ put the school and gym at nearly 60,000 square feet. The 2024 offer of $1,050,000 worked out to about $17.50 per square foot. The 2026 auction price works out to about $2.50. The Outlook's story on the new owners puts that price at $150,000, and a photo caption in the paper's auction coverage gives it as $150,300.
What the auction price bought, floor by floor
The buyers are Locomotive LLC, a partnership of Jeff Riggs, Just Humphrey and Keith Waring. Riggs and Humphrey were roommates at Montana State University. They bought the school and the whole block it sits on at an online auction in July.
The earlier buyers planned all housing. The ideas in Locomotive's three-page brochure split the building by floor:
- Third floor: condominiums or multifamily homes, which the partners describe as a response to the housing shortage
- Second floor: small offices or flexible workspace
- First floor: something like a neighborhood coffee shop or restaurant
- The gym: youth or after-school programs, community recreation and rentals, or a partnership with or eventual sale to a nonprofit or community group
Under this plan, housing is one floor out of three instead of the whole building, and the purchase price is a small fraction of what the earlier deals carried. That combination is what makes the other floors possible. It's also what makes them depend on the city. The owners told the Outlook that office use would need more land-use approval, and so would a coffee shop or restaurant.
The gym needs the most work, and the owners are most excited about it
The main building is in better shape than many people might guess. Riggs said the partners were pleased to see how carefully the district had maintained it. The gym is another matter. Its roof is bad enough that you can see daylight through parts of it, and the floor needs extensive work.
Riggs still called the gym the space the partners are most excited about:
"We are 100% not going to tear it down. We love the landscaping around the outside basketball courts. They are awesome."
Their first job is protecting what's there. "Our first goal is to stop the bleeding," Riggs said. "We don't have deep pockets and want it to get used as we continue work." The brochure says the same thing: "Our first priority is protecting the buildings from further deterioration while we evaluate what is realistic for the long term."
That explains the gym ideas. Programs, rentals or a nonprofit partner can put a building to use while repairs continue. A finished condo conversion can't start until the work is done.
Why the neighbors' input carries weight this time
The 2024 plan was a private negotiation between the school board and two buyers, with a rent arrangement attached. Under those offers, the district would have stayed in the building through the 2024-25 school year, paying the buyer $10,000 in rent plus utilities. The current plan needs approvals before parts of it can happen, and the owners have chosen to talk with neighbors before they apply for anything.
"Before pursuing a zoning change or other land-use approval with the City of Laurel, we want to talk with the people who live around the school. Nothing is finalized," the partners wrote in their brochure. Their stated goals fit in three short sentences: "Preserve the landmark. Respect the neighborhood. Find a sustainable future."
Zoning is the place to ask questions. This fall, Riggs described the block as zoned multifamily residential. In 2024, during the earlier sale, the Outlook reported that zoning would have to change to allow a multifamily development there. The open house is a good time to ask which approvals each floor would need.
Riggs has done this kind of project before. He lives in Bozeman, and most of his renewal work has been on historic buildings in Butte. One project turned an old Catholic school into office space. Another turned the oldest Jewish temple in Montana into a sanctuary on one level and an apartment on the other. "They all work out in different ways," he told the Outlook. His approach is to buy old properties, work with the community on what it needs, and turn the buildings into something sustainable.
The open house matters for another reason too. The owners want to hear stories from former students. Someone has been asking about the details for a while. Back in 2024, School Board chair Brittani Hunter asked whether the "Laurel High School" lettering cut into the building's stone could be saved, if removing it wasn't too expensive or difficult. The new owners plan to keep the building, which means the lettering would not have to be removed.
Friday, Oct. 16 at 410 Colorado
- What: Community open house hosted by Locomotive LLC at the old Laurel High School and middle school
- When: Friday, Oct. 16, 4 to 6 p.m.
- Where: 410 Colorado Ave., Laurel
- Can't make it: Send ideas to Jeff Riggs at [email protected], the contact listed in the Outlook
If you live near Colorado Avenue and wonder how a coffee shop, offices or new condos on that block might change your street, Suzie Countway is glad to talk it through, without any pressure. Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
