What could two empty Rochester schools become? The city is currently seeking proposals to find out.
Separate requests for proposals seek developers to buy and renovate the former Henry Lomb School 20 on Oakman Street north of downtown, and Adlai Stevenson School 29 on Kirkland Road in the southwest part of the city.
But what exactly they could be is up in the air. City documents show few limitations for School 20, while suggesting a range of options from art or cultural space to recreation, or a small business hub to housing or community services for School 29.
“The number one thing is to get these buildings occupied and put back to productive use,” said Erik Frisch, deputy commissioner of the city’s Department of Neighborhood and Business Development. “So, we're somewhat agnostic to what that would be. Although, we of course want it to be something that contributes to the broader community.”
Both are former elementary schools, as was another at North Goodman and Bay streets that City Council agreed to sell this summer.
RCSD is shuttering schools as it grapples with steep enrollment declines and is then turning the buildings back to the city. The district has seen a 31% drop in enrollment over the past decade, a decline of 9,000 students, according to the New York State Department of Education.
There has been “considerable interest” in the two latest school buildings put up for sale, Frisch said, but he did not cite an exact number of proposals received, so far. The application period for School 20 closed on Friday, while the one for School 29 closes on Oct. 17.
School 20 has a sale price of $1.65 million while School 29 is set at $1.8 million.
The city might consider waiving the tax-exempt policy if no one else is interested, Frisch said. That’s due to the unique nature of the buildings, and a severe issue with the heating and air conditioning system at School 29, making it a more difficult sell.
The schools are in residential neighborhoods, and Frisch said that the possibility of reuse for housing is one of the key possibilities.
They wouldn’t be the first former school buildings to undergo such a process. In June, for example, the Ibero-American Development Corp. began the process of purchasing the former School 25 on North Goodman Street, with the intent of turning it into apartments.
“That’s better for everybody, filling an important function with providing affordable, high quality housing units,” Frisch said. “But also, again, just getting these buildings occupied and making sure that people are there on site, caring for the properties and ensuring that they're contributing to the to the neighborhood.”
Both schools shuttered in September 2024 as the district began its latest reconfiguration plan due to declining enrollment. That plan was first announced in October 2023.
Camille Simmons, the current president of the RCSD Board of Commissioners, voted no in the original vote to close the schools.
“I’m struggling with that, we have to reconfigure grade levels, schools have to close,” Simmons said. “I just think this more or something else we’re missing here.”
In all, 11 schools were shuttered during the reconfiguration, and five buildings were closed. Schools No. 20 and 29 were the only two buildings that were returned to city ownership. The closed buildings that housed Schools No. 39, 44, and 106 stayed under district ownership.
