KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It’s been nearly nine years since students roamed the halls of Blenheim Elementary School. Developers now have a new lesson plan coming to the nearly 90-year-old school.
The building is no longer housing students. Instead, it will be redeveloped into low-income units for senior citizens.
Mark Moberly with Sunflower Development Group said the school is being redeveloped using historic tax credits.
“It is kind of fun when we walk through here before we start demo, and it still has the classroom names for the teachers,” Moberly said.
Faxon Elementary is the only other former KCPS building to be converted into a similar apartment complex for senior citizens. Moberly said it’s exciting news for former students who once attended the Kansas City Public School District.
“I’ve already had a couple folks who went to school here that said we would like to come in for a tour,” Moberly said.
Construction just started and developers hope to have the property open by this fall. Neighborhood and community events will also be held in the former Blenheim auditorium.
The Kansas City Public School District identified 30 schools as surplus in 2011, and included those schools in the repurposing initiative. Now, only six abandoned buildings remain.