1920s school turned into apartments. Now, seniors live where they once learned

FREMONT, MI –

…The former high school building in the middle of Newaygo County’s Fremont dates back to 1926.  Re-fitted as a 38-apartment building for seniors called The Gateway, the build manager said several occupants are now sleeping where they once suffered pencils, books and teachers’ dirty looks. Inside, the building has been extensively re-done with new surfaces, but many of the old trappings remain – wide scholastic hallways and high classroom ceilings.

Thoroughly modernized systems in the building include a geothermal well, which lowers the cost of heating and cooling, she said. Development costs for the project totaled about $13 million. Chemical Bank provided construction financing for the renovation. The County of Newaygo provided a brownfield grant, and a Michigan Housing and Community Development Fund Grant, and a 10 percent payment in lieu of taxes from the city of Fremont. “It really was a true public-private endeavor,” Morgan said. “It was a great partnership.”

The restoration served two goals, Morgan said: To preserve a landmark, but also to provide affordable housing. Tenants qualifying under MSHDA guidelines pay as low as $234 a month for a studio apartment, or $665 for a 2-bedroom apartment. Market-rate apartments are $538-$923 a month.  She said the project has met both of those goals: There’s a wait list of roughly 100 tenants waiting to get into the place, and the project has received state and national recognition for historic preservation.

The site is a recipient of the 2016 Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation, and recently was given honorable mention in the Rural category with the National Charles L. Edson Tax Credit Excellence Award…

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