Later this year, the former Kirby Road School in
Northside will become an apartment complex, developed by
Bloomfield/Schon+Partners. The school was purchased at a
Cincinnati Public Schools auction for $230,000 in 2012.
The $4.2 million Kirby Lofts project will convert the 50,000-square-foot, three-story building into 40 apartments, which could be completed by June 2015. The former gym will become three two-story, loft-style apartments, and the auditorium will become a 1,800-square-foot unit with 20-foot ceilings.
Much of the exterior of the building will remain, along with the preservation of the building’s Rookwood tile, cabinets, trim, doors and blackboards.
Kirby Road School was built in 1910, and closed in 2005. It temporarily housed Chase School before closing for good in late 2012. It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Bloomfield/Schon also redeveloped Northside’s
American Can Lofts. The city granted a property tax abatement that will be worth $130,000 annually for eight years, and Bloomfield/Schon already received $600,000 in state preservation tax credits.
Plans are still in the works, and bids are being sought for the construction work.
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