Kansas City Missouri School Repurposing

Reuse Assessment of 30 vacant schools to support repurposing of the sites. Assessments examined building condition, historical significance and integrity, market studies, and community feedback.

The City of Kansas City and the Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS) contracted Rosin Preservation to complete two distinct but related projects. For the City of Kansas City, Rosin Preservation surveyed seventy public school buildings constructed before 1970, including eleven schools constructed between 1952 and 1968. Following this survey, Rosin Preservation prepared a Multiple Property Documentation Form (MPDF) that defined property types and historic contexts to evaluate the historic significance of Kansas City’s public school resources. Rosin Preservation has successfully nominated seven schools under the MPDF. For KCPS, Rosin Preservation led the team that worked with district representatives through the public Repurposing Initiative, an innovative program to identify new uses for thirty vacant schools. The repurposing Initiative incorporated evaluations of physical condition with extensive community engagement to gauge local needs and market analysis to create a framework within which to evaluate reuse proposals for each school site.