by: Matthew Self
Posted: Feb 5, 2025 / 01:05 PM CST
COTTONWOOD FALLS (KSNT) – Workers are transforming an old school in Chase County into additional housing for the community.
27 News reached out to Frontier Development Group (FDG) to learn more about its work to transform historic structures in Kansas into modern living spaces. One major project underway this year is at a former school located in Cottonwood Falls.
Tyler Holloman with FDG said this property, located at 401 Maple Street, is currently under construction with a grand opening set for sometime in early 2025. He said more than a $2 million investment is being made in the old structure to bring it in line with the modern era and turn its inside into a place people want to live in. The end goal is to reopen the school as the Cottonwood School Lofts.
“We will have 10 units,” Holloman said. “Five on the first floor and five on the second. It will be an even mix of one and two-bedroom units.”
The Kansas Historical Society (KSHS) shows the structure as being the site of the Cottonwood Falls Grade School. The building was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 2021 for its connections to education and its architectural significance, according to the National Park Service (NPS).
“We’ve had people reaching out on a monthly basis on this,” Holloman said.
The school served the local town of Cottonwood Falls for more than a century with the original building being completed in 1904, according to the KSHS. The large limestone building had a few additions added to it over the years, including a gymnasium and auditorium in 1963.
Cottonwood Falls Grade School is listed as an example of a Town Graded School property type constructed during the Progressive Era, according to the NRHP. Architect John Daniel Walters came up with the designs for the original structure.
Holloman said his team has faced some interesting challenges over the course of the renovation work. FDG partnered with a local nonprofit called the Chase County Old School Development District throughout the project to get the work done.
“The school project was a little unique,” Holloman said. “The bones of the building were in good shape. It looked like it did when school closed 20 years ago.”
FDG workers replaced the plumbing and mechanical systems inside the school while also trying to save as much of the originals as they could to preserve the building’s historic status. The old age of the structure made work to modernize it a difficult process.
“It’s built really solid, which is good, but it made it difficult to renovate,” Holloman said. “It’s all good things, because the building is really solid, but it’s just added a bit of time to the project to make sure everything is done correctly.”
Holloman said that, despite the hardships, this project has been an enjoyable process. He attributed constant support from the community and local organizations to helping keep the work progressing forward.
“It’s a nice community and very nice town,” Holloman said. “They’ve never had any sort of multi-family rental development.”
Future renters will notice some unique features left over from the old school, including chalkboards in every living unit. FDG tried to preserve these as a nod back to the building’s original purpose.
“This has definitely been enjoyable,” Holloman said. “Each project is unique.”
A Kansas Housing Income tax credit, Moderate Income Housing grant and other federal and state historic tax credits were used to help offset some of the costs for this project. You can learn more about these tax credits by consulting the Kansas Department of Commerce’s (KDC) website.
“It takes a variety of funding sources to make these projects work, but to the state’s credit, they’ve made a lot of resources available,” Holloman said.
FDG is a real estate and construction management company based out of Manhattan. It specializes in turning older structures into modern living spaces. FDG has multiple projects in Kansas that it has finished or is still working on such as the Brandt House and Limerick in the town of Alma. You can learn more about the Cottonwood School Lofts project by heading to FDG’s website by clicking here.
