Former Hotchkiss Elementary in Akron to be redeveloped
Hassan Anderson has long appreciated the idea of redeveloping buildings for something other than their intended use. When Anderson lived in Cleveland, he thought it was neat to see warehouses transformed into residential lofts. He always wanted to do a project himself.
“I thought it was pretty cool that you could turn something old and make it new and modern,” the Akron resident said.
He tried to buy Bettes Elementary School in 2019 when Akron Public Schools auctioned it off along with nine other properties. But Bettes, the first school that was sold, went for the highest price. Anderson hadn’t scoped out the other buildings, so he sat out the rest of the auction. The school has since been demolished.
Six years later, he’s embracing another opportunity to convert an old school into something new. Akron’s City Council last week approved Anderson’s proposal to build 10 apartments and two commercial spaces into the former Hotchkiss Elementary School at 33 Dorcas Ave. where the far edge of Akron’s Middlebury neighborhood is tucked in between Goodyear Heights to the north and East Akron to the south.
Anderson, the owner of Flex Enterprises, said he wants to make the development into something the community is truly proud of.
Sharon Connor, the Ward 10 Councilperson who represents the area, said there’s always a need for housing in the community. A building like Hotchkiss “takes a lot of investment,” she said, but will be worth it for the neighborhood.
“Any time we can save a historical building, we love that,” Connor said of the 1927 school that’s been vacant since 2019. “To salvage this building and repurpose it is just a win-win.”
Construction on project to begin this summer
Getting to the point of City Council approval was a process. The old school went before the city’s Vacant Building Board more than six times as Anderson got his plans and financing together. At the most recent meeting on June 11, he got another reprieve to continue work on the project.
Anderson said he expects to spend between $800,000 and $900,000 on the renovation. His first priority? Building out a space for Equal Care Services, his business that trains people with developmental disabilities for jobs and transports them to work.
A second commercial space will be available for a day care or office space. Anderson then plans to build 10 market-rate apartments — seven one-bedroom, two two-bedroom and one three-bedroom units — in the former school.
“I’m excited about taking on a project of this magnitude,” said Anderson, who said he previously rehabilitated a community center in Canton. “I’m just going to enjoy the process.”
He plans to start building the space for Equal Care Services by the end of next month and hopes to start construction on the apartments by the end of the year.
Councilmember to real estate entrepreneur: ‘I wish you nothing but the best’
Anderson painted the school white as part of his efforts to show he was making progress on the project; at the Council meeting where his mixed-use proposal was approved, Akron City Council Vice President Jeff Fusco called the project “a good-news story.”
“I wish you nothing but the best,” Fusco said. “I hope it works out.”
Anderson said he plans to landscape, resurface the parking lot and replace the windows and frames as part of his redevelopment process.
“It will be a very beautiful building when it’s all done,” he said. “You don’t get this opportunity every day. It’s a school. There are only so many.”
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