Editors Note: This article was originally published in the Aug. 23, 2023 issue of the Chronicle Progress. Some information may be outdated.
Written by Jenessa Walgren
You could call it the ultimate tribute to family. Or simply, the “Millard Manor.”
And it’s open for business, thanks to the blood, sweat and tears of the Singleton family in Hinckley, who’ve spent two years now renovating the community’s beloved old elementary and high school.
On the outside it still looks just like the old school, the sounds of squealing children playing on its grounds and scattering through its wide hallways long faded. Today the building is a giant home, with assorted cozy spaces carved from the industrial-tinged areas once occupied by classrooms and accoutrements of such old education facilities.
The giant home began its life in 1909 as part of the LDS Church’s plans to seed the state with academies; schools for Utah’s growing population. Thirty-six of them were built between 1875 and 1911, including the Millard LDS Academy in Hinckley—Fillmore was the original location chosen for the institution, but that city’s three saloons quickly disqualified it in the eyes of religious authorities.
The academy officially opened on Sept. 13, 1910, with seven faculty members teaching 79 students. Halfway through that first school year, attendance almost doubled. In 1923, the academy would be transferred to the state’s education authorities and it would become Hinckley High School. By 1926, 254 students were enrolled. The New Deal brought a new gymnasium to the campus in the 1930s.
By 1953, however, the high school was no more, replaced by Hinckley Elementary, which survived another 21 years, serving kindergarten through sixth grades.
In 1974, the last of the children were transferred to Delta schools and the original school building was shuttered.
It sat for three years until 1977, when Clyde and Carolyn Stevens bought it for $8,011. By 1997, the building was dilapidated to such a state, some figured it was best to demolish it. But a new owner eventually purchased the structure and spent the next 12 years attempting to renovate the behemoth brown building.
By the fall of 2021, new owners Lori and Philip Singleton made it their mission to finish the job once and for all.
The couple moved from West Jordan to Delta with their eight children. Their goal was to remodel the old Hinckley school buildings into their own home, one that would also double as a venue open to the public, especially for family events such as reunions.
The effort was not without a fair share of heartache.
Only a few weeks after moving into their new home, the whole family got COVID-19. Philip passed away, and the family of 10 became a family of nine, left without its patriarch.
The Singletons’ lives were changed forever. They were in an unfamiliar place and would need to learn plenty of new things without a special loved one showing them the way.
“It was our plan to make an event center from the beginning, but I didn’t plan to do it without him,” Lori said.
Still, the family vowed to persevere.
Lori convinced her grown children to return home full time to help her and their younger siblings complete what they started.
“I talked with all the kids and asked them, can we all still finish this without him?” She said. “My older kids were off at college, and they all chose to come and be put to work so we can finish this. We know how much he loved it and we can’t let go of it.”
A lot of work lay ahead of them all.
There was still graffiti on the walls that needed to go. The gym was trashed and some of the bedrooms previous owners had built were also in disrepair.
The eight Singleton siblings had to learn on the fly new skills like painting, electrical and plumbing to create the dream home they imagined with their father. The children range in age from 24 to 10. Each has put in serious elbow grease to get the home where it is today.
The home now has eight completely redone and furnished bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a full kitchen, two massive living areas and an indoor gym with a volleyball court. On the first level there is a living area and four other spacious bedrooms.
These rooms were once the school’s administrative offices.
Moving up the stairs, the original hand railing that hundreds of children once used as they made their way up and down to their classrooms, still frames the hallway. On the second floor the auditorium has been converted into a living space that includes a den with couches on both ends of the room. One side has a play area with ping pong and foosball tables. In the middle is a massive dining area capable of serving large groups.
Steps lead up to the school’s old stage, which was converted into a full kitchen, two ovens with stovetops joining two refrigerators. On the other side of the room, there are five couches surrounding a television.
Still, the home remains a work in progress.
“We’re gonna keep on finishing. We plan on having ten bedrooms and ten bathrooms and maybe eventually have a game and movie theater room in the attic,” Lori said.
The family plans on working on the outside buildings soon and hope to turn the gym into a event center for parties and weddings.
“Right now I’m playing it by ear. It’s been crazy,” she said about the years worth of work ahead.
The old elementary will eventually be christened the “Millard Manor.”
Lori had plans with her husband to host a few family reunions a year. But some people were skeptical at first. This summer, however, the Millard Manor hosted five different events for the first time.
“I know there have been up to 100 people here this summer for family reunions…We have beds for like 40 something and eventually will have 50 people able to have beds to sleep in,” Lori said.
There is plenty of room for more in the future.
“It’s meant for something more than just living…I’ve felt that more being here…. It was a school that had a lot of kids running through it and I think it’s meant to have lots of people gather together now,” Lori said.
