WILLSBORO -- The majestic structure, with its intricate brick work, overlooks the rushing Boquet River.

Walking into the building is like entering a ghost town; its silent halls and classrooms bear testimony of the inquisitive and laughing students of the past.

There is the fond teacher testimonials written on chalkboards by students, such as, "Hey Mr. Oliver, Your (sic) Awesome!" -- Heather Lee and Toni Lee.

Ashley Alden provided a sentimental yet futuristic missive on the chalkboard: "I will really miss this school. But new adventures will begin in the new school."

The science lab displays its last biology lesson, with a chromosome diagram and the chemical formula for an amino-acid transformation on the chalk board.

There's the "pit" with its overhanging balcony, which withstood the stomping by fans that gave it the proverbial home-court advantage in basketball games.

The gym's hardwood floor is buckled in places due to water. Schwartzberg had a leaky pipe replaced, which prevented further damage.

There is also a makeshift structure that the Willsboro Fire Department has used for training purposes.

Though memories of past performances persist, the stage, too, is silent.

Two murals by Stephanie Hutchins, with inspirational -- and ironically prophetic -- implications can be found on stairway landings:

"If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it." -- Maria Ruggles.

"If you have tried to do something and failed, you are vastly better than if you had tried to do nothing and succeeded." -- Flora McKennon.

One of the views overlooks the Boquet River, which is lined with clapboard homes beneath the backdrop of a woody hillside, a church steeple and distant mountains -- ready for an artist's depiction.

"The building is in very rough shape," Schwartzberg admitted.

But he listed many of the positive attributes that would lend themselves to an assisted-living facility -- the wide hallways, large classrooms and the many common spaces that could be turned into uses such as a craft room, hair salon and dining hall.