By: Austin Hoagland/Emporia Gazette
A Manhattan-based development firm known for restoring historic buildings in small Kansas towns is setting its sights on Emporia.
Frontier Development Group has the Kansas Avenue School under contract with hopes of renovating it into 12 apartments.
Frontier Development Group has the former Kansas Avenue School under contract and hopes to transform the long-vacant building into 12 affordable apartment homes — a project modeled after the company’s successful renovation of the old Cottonwood Falls school.
“This will be a very similar project to the Cottonwood Falls project,” said Tyler Holloman, managing partner with Frontier Development Group. “We’ll preserve chalkboards, lockers, and hallways to the greatest extent possible, while updating the classrooms into modern apartment homes.”
Funding and timeline
The project’s future depends on approval from the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC). The City of Emporia agreed to sponsor Frontier’s application for two state funding programs: the Moderate Income Housing (MIH) grant and the Kansas Housing Investor Tax Credit.
Those applications were submitted in early October, with decisions expected by early 2026.
“If we get good news from KHRC, our next step is to prepare architectural plans for the State Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service,” Holloman said. “We’d then look to start construction sometime in 2026, with apartments available for rent in 2027.”
Targeted toward workforce families
While the apartments will be labeled “affordable,” Holloman emphasized they are not intended as low-income housing.
“These homes will be designed for families that make between 60 and 150 percent of the area’s median income,” he said. “That typically includes teachers, police officers, firefighters, and manufacturing workers — people who earn too much to qualify for low-income housing but may not be in a position to buy a home.”
Preserving history and community value
Holloman said Frontier’s mission is to meet housing needs while preserving local heritage.
“We have a passion for saving buildings that are iconic to their communities,” he said. “We see these projects as a way to provide needed housing while keeping those historic structures alive.”
The company follows a vertically integrated model, handling construction, renovation, and long-term management of the properties it restores.
“We don’t want to cut corners,” Holloman said. “These buildings were built to last, and when we bring them back to life, it benefits everyone — the investors, the city, and the tenants.”
Although the Kansas Avenue property remains under contract and not yet purchased, Holloman said Frontier Development is eager to invest in Emporia.
“We’ve wanted to work in Emporia for a while now,” he said. “We’re excited to be collaborating with the school district on this one, and we’re really looking forward to seeing it move forward.”
