One of the first schools in California to desegregate could soon be restored and turned into a home for one of Chapman University’s academic programs.

The Orange Unified School District board recently approved selling the former Killefer Elementary School at 541 N. Lemon St. to Chapman for $3.7 million. Chapman has more than a year to finalize its acquisition of the property, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, but the sale could mark the end to a years-long saga over how to preserve and reuse the campus that has been left empty for years.

“If the sale goes through, we will restore the building, preserve it back to what it was in 1931 and plan on using it for academic purposes,” Chapman Vice President of Community Relations Jack Raubolt said at the district’s Jan. 16 meeting. “It will be beautiful to put it back to what it was.”

Chapman spokeswoman Amy Stevens said once the university has the property in hand it will decide how to best honor the site’s history. But Chapman will do so “in a way that will allow public access,” a university press release said.

Chapman has yet to decide which of its programs would be located at the school, officials said.

The elementary campus was built in 1931 for white students. In 1944, OUSD voluntarily desegregated the school, three years before the Mendez, et al. v. Westminster decision mandated California schools integrate.

Orange Unified closed the campus in 1980. Santiago Canyon College then used the building for its adult learning center for a number of years.

The Orange school district put the property up for sale in 2014; Chapman put in a bid but was the lowest of the offers received. But between then and now, several developers backed out of buying the property, leaving Chapman as the last remaining bidder interested.

“We felt it was in our best interest to complete this transaction at the bid amount offered,” said David Rivera, the district’s assistant superintendent. “Otherwise, we would have started the process over and further delay the sale of the property.”

Money from the sale will go toward improving district facilities, he said.

Old Towne Preservation Association Preservation Director Jeff Frankel said his group had encouraged OUSD to sell the property to the university.

“We’re very happy Chapman is purchasing the school. We expect good things,” he said. “They do things that most people wouldn’t do. They go over and above.”

Jerome Ryan, who created a group calling for the property to be preserved, said he is “cautiously optimistic” about the sale, although he wanted the district to re-open the bidding process.

“With the amount of time that has gone on,” he said, “there should have been a new notification and a period for informed public comment.”

He said he wants Chapman to honor the school’s history by going beyond “a token display case and a plaque on the ground.”

“This school tells the story of the old civil rights movement.”