By The Atchison Globe Plans for the Central School Apartments have been announced. Central School Apartments, LLC Manager and Pomeroy Development LLC owner Justin Pregont officially announced plans for the Central School Apartments Project earlier this week.
Pomeroy Development was the successful bidder to purchase the school building from USD 409 for $40,000 with the intent to renovate the facility into apartments. Board members accepted the bid during the June 14 board meeting. Board members unanimously approved the sale contract during a special board meeting Tuesday, June 29.
Pregont shared the history of Central school and the plans for its future in the community.
“The Central School building in downtown Atchison was originally constructed in 1937 as part of the federal Works Progress Administration at the tail end of FDR’s New Deal. The blonde brick exterior, terrazzo floors, and woodwork throughout still project the original Art Moderne architectural style from the late 1930’s. Generations of children in Atchison’s oldest neighborhoods have attended Central School, myself included,” Pregont wrote. “Buildings with this kind of enduring community impact must be preserved even if their future looks quite different from their past.”
The Central School Apartments project will see the property listed on the National Register of Historic Places, ensuring that the building remains a character defining piece of the fabric of downtown Atchison for generations to come. Listing the property on the National Register gives our company access to the State and Federal Historic Tax Credit Programs, but also comes with extraordinary requirements in terms of historic preservation, design/review, and construction quality, all of which are positive outcomes for the Atchison community...