Forsyth County mulls sale of vacant Kaleideum North building

Forsyth County is looking to sell the site of the former Kaleideum North facility in Winston-Salem.

The 28-acre property was left vacant after the museum moved to its new location in downtown Winston-Salem earlier this year. 

At a Forsyth County Board of Commissioners meeting, Assistant General Services Director Kirby Robinson said the facility has significant maintenance issues. 

“There is a sizable area of the roof that would need to be replaced. It's actually deteriorated so much that birds are eating part of it," he said. "I had no idea that birds like to eat parts of roofs, but apparently they do.”

Robinson estimated it would cost roughly $4 million to restore the facility to full functionality. Instead, he proposed doing minimal maintenance for the time being while shopping for a buyer. 

“During that time, we would clean out the facility, we want to make it presentable," he said. "And we need to work with the museum to develop a surplus property disposal plan, there is a fair amount of just fascinating museum personal property that's still there.” 

Robinson said the county would be willing to work with Kaleideum to transfer the property to schools or other community organizations. 

The commission ultimately voted 6-1 to spend about $36,000 to keep the facility dry and safe during a one-year marketing period.