Jefferson School Apartments
Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Leasing Information

Description

• Adaptive reuse of 1920's school building
• 3 acre setting
• 46 affordable units for the elderly
• 2-story brick building
• Placed in service in 2003

Developer
Pennrose Properties

Architect
The Knabb Partnership
Exton, PA

General Contractor
Harkins Builders, Inc.
Marriottsville, MD

Management
Pennrose Management Company

The Challenge

The Jefferson Elementary School in Pottstown Borough, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania was built circa 1923;   but by 1980, when it was decommissioned by the Pottstown School District, it no longer met the community's educational needs.   Situated upon three acres of rolling land, the vacant two-story brick building remained structurally sound because the School District had ensured its continued service to the community by keeping it well maintained. Near to a host of shopping, entertainment and transportation points, the site had the potential to draw tenants from the community as well as those in outlying areas.   With over 10,000 income- and age-eligible households in the vicinity, Pennrose found it to be tailor-made for an historic adaptive reuse project   that would serve the needs of local low-income senior citizens.

The Solution

Pennrose assembled a development team that envisioned a bright future for this still valuable historic property.   Their development plan preserved and rehabilitated the existing structure; and by appending a new addition, transformed it into a forty-six (46) unit independent-living apartment complex for low-income seniors from the local area. Of the 46 units in the development, 44 one-bedroom units of roughly 684 square foot each in size and 2 two-bedroom units of roughly 1,010 square feet in size were constructed. The final total gross square footage of the facility was roughly 59,785 sq. ft. and included space for the management and supportive services offices, a large center courtyard, resident lounges, and a large multi-purpose, community, meeting room.   Today the facility affords residents a vibrant lifestyle of classes and recreation.

This $5.7 million historic rehabilitation underscores the development team's expertise in imaginatively redeveloping historic buildings that have significant potential to continue to serve the community in new ways that meet the community's changing needs.   The Jefferson School Apartments were placed in service in 2003 and are owned, managed, and maintained by Pennrose.

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