Repurposing Lansing’s old schools

There is an emotional attachment to old schools. Generations of students may have passed through a particular school; participated in community activities or attended sporting events; or perhaps even worked as a teacher, bus driver or a school cook, as my Mom did for over a decade. Repurposing these often beautiful old buildings keeps history alive. 

A number of local schools have been converted over the last several decades to popular community centers (Hannah Community Center in East Lansing, Foster, Gier and Hill community centers in Lansing). Other school conversions have provided homes for corporations, notably Allen Street and Oak Park Schools, which are now occupied by the biotechnology firm Neogen Corp. on the east side. And, the former Walnut Street School is home to the particle acceleration firm Niowave.

Increasingly, these centrally located and historic buildings are viewed as ideal for creating critically needed housing.  In fact, two recent conversions are providing models for just this purpose. In the Potter-Walsh neighborhood in southeast Lansing, the former Holmes Street School opened recently as the Blackboard District Apartments. On the corner of Mount Hope Avenue and Cedar Street, the former Walter French Junior High School will soon become the Residences at Walter French.

Here are details on the transformation of these two historic schools to apartments:

A rendering of the old Walter French Junior High School as it is expected to look next year, when it reopens as Residences at Walter French.

Blackboard District Apartments

was created by Jeff Deehan and Matt McNeil of Dymaxion Development, a Lansing-based real estate development firm that specializes in adaptive reuse as well as new development. Dymaxion describes itself as “uniquely skilled at preserving and managing historic buildings with community revitalization at the forefront of our business model.”

After closing nearly 20 years ago, the 100-year-old Holmes Street School had already experienced one failed development effort before being purchased by Dymaxion. The Holmes Street School Community, a lively neighborhood organization serving the western portion of the Potter-Walsh neighborhood, welcomed Dymaxion. “From the beginning, Dymaxion was an exceptionally considerate neighbor,” the group’s president, Mary Beth Van Horn, noted. “Today, they communicate constantly, refer their tenants to our community garden and allow us to use their greenspace for our annual Easter Egg Hunt.”

 After several years of construction, Blackboard District Apartments is substantially complete, with 43 of the 47 units occupied. Deehan noted that his team is “taking its time and having fun with creating the final four two-story loft units in the old gymnasium.”

While Deehan and his associates take great pride in preserving beautiful and historic buildings, he points out that “it is 10X harder and much more expensive to restore a building than to build new.”  He explained that given the current state of the lending environment, restoration of the sort he does is only possible with help from state or local government.  Developers interested in repurposing old buildings must navigate a toolbox of incentives that include tax exemptions for obsolete properties, federal and state tax credits and the state’s Low-Income Housing Tax Program.  Deehan noted that the city of Lansing has been “uniquely helpful,” praising Kris Klein of Lansing Economic Development Corp. as an essential ally. As I talked with Deehan about incentives, I recalled trying to figure out from this dizzying array of complicated programs that might have been helpful in building the Allen Place Complex several years back.

(Left) John Smith, property manager, DPMG Prime, and Luke Koerschner, project manager, Dymaxion Development looking over blueprints of apartments …

The Residences at Walter French

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014, the former Walter H. French Junior High School is undergoing a transformative restoration led by the local nonprofit Capital Area Housing Partnership. With experience in repurposing old schools into affordable housing (e.g., Bailey Community Center in East Lansing) and having acquired the old Walter French though a donation in 2018, CAHP took on what would be a complex development process and secured the necessary financing. 

According to CAHP’s senior housing development director, Tom Edmiston, and communications director Curtis Audette, “The mixed-use development will offer a unique living, working and living experience that preserves Walter French’s original architectural character while giving the historic school a renewed purpose. Throughout the classroom wings, the Residences at Walter French will feature 76 affordable apartments and provide amenities such as a community room for residents in the former cafeteria and a fitness center in the former kitchen.”

Among the interior features in the old Holmes Street School is a brick fireplace with a tile mural.

Edmiston said the ground floor will host a  childcare center that can serve up to 110 pupils  within the former locker rooms and natatorium spaces. CAHP will move its offices into the original gymnasium and also build a maintenance structure on the grounds to house its popular Tuesday Toolmen Program, Tool Lending Library and DIY workshops. The newly revitalized Walter French should be completed by mid-2025 — 100 years after the school first opened its doors to Lansing students.

As was the case with Dymaxion, CAHP worked diligently to secure the funding necessary, primarily through Low Income Housing Tax Credits and Historic Tax Credits, with additional support from public and private grants from the state, city of Lansing, Ingham County Housing Trust Fund and donors. 

Despite the financing challenges, both Deehan and CAHP’s Edmiston say they would do it again. When I asked Deehan if he had any schools in mind, he told me that he had approached U of M Health - Sparrow about repurposing the old Eastern High School for housing. “Eastern is a jewel, and it’s the only school big enough and grand enough to put the energy that it would take into it.” U of M was not interested, Deehan said.

Dymaxion Development has saved many features of the old Holmes Street School in its conversion to 47 apartments.

It occurs to me that if U of M Health System, which acquired Sparrow and hence Eastern two years ago, is unable to figure out how to integrate the old Eastern High School into a new mental health facility (my first choice), perhaps it can consider using it to create housing for seniors who would appreciate living so close to a hospital. Or they could provide lodging for traveling medical staff. Or host a daycare center for employees. Or make use of classroom space for continuing education. Or all of these. It appears that local developers, Lansing and especially the eastside community, historic preservationists and city leaders would welcome any number of community uses for this historic structure.

Bill Castanier, who heads the Historical Society of Greater Lansing recently shared a story about Michigan Central Station by The Wall Street Journal’s architectural writer, Michael Lewis, who said — in reference to a building in far worse condition than any former school in Lansing: “No building is too far gone as long as there are resources and the will to use them.”

Lansing's Holmes School was renovated into apartments and renamed Blackboard District Apartments.

Lansing's Holmes School was renovated into apartments and renamed Blackboard District Apartments.

Dymaxion Development has saved many features of the old Holmes Street School in its conversion to 47 apartments.

(Joan Nelson, the retired founding executive director of the Allen Neighborhood Center, writes this column monthly.)