Chicago Construction News staff writer
McShane Construction Company says it has been selected to renovate two historic school buildings into affordable housing units in Aurora. The project also includes a new building and will add a total of 47 affordable housing units to the city.
“This project is a unique opportunity to take two historic school buildings that served the community well and convert them into housing to better support the community moving forward,” said Susan Uhlarik, director of multi-family at McShane.
“We look forward to preserving the schools’ histories on these sites while repurposing them into developments that will fulfill current needs of the community.”
The project is designed to achieve NGBS Silver Certification and will be completed by October 2023. Cordogan Clark & Associates is the architect.
The 25,000-sq. ft. Mary A. Todd School will be renovated into 11 apartment units and a health clinic for low-income families in the area. The building was originally constructed in the early 1900s.
McShane will also renovate the 39,000-sq. ft. Lincoln Elementary School into 14 apartment units and build a new two-story, 28,000-sq. ft. building on the site that will encompass 22 apartment units.
The renovations will incorporate historical elements from the school buildings including trim, flooring, chalkboards, windows and doors.
Amenities will include a common laundry room, a community room, a computer lab and tenant storage.
McShane Construction Company was established in 1984 and is headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois with regional offices in Auburn, AL, Irvine, CA, Madison, WI, Nashville, TN and Phoenix, AZ.
