Construction has begun on the conversion of Manchester’s vacant Hallsville School into 36 apartments, a project that will preserve portions of the 134-year-old building while creating housing at the former schoolhouse on Jewett Street.
Gov. Kelly Ayotte, Mayor Jay Ruais, members of the development team, financing partners and representatives of PROCON gathered Tuesday for a groundbreaking ceremony. The rehabilitation is expected to take approximately one year to complete.
A new use for a former school
Hallsville School was built in 1891. The project will turn its former classrooms into apartments, most of them income-restricted, while retaining architectural details from the building’s schoolhouse era.
Plans call for the rehabilitation to preserve approximately seven-foot-tall windows, 14-foot ceilings, hardwood floors, original woodwork, built-in cabinets and slate chalkboards in many of the apartments. Novo Studio Architects designed the conversion, and PROCON is serving as construction manager.
“For more than a century, this building kept a promise to Manchester’s working families: a place where their kids could learn and grow. Starting today, it gets to keep a new promise: a home for Manchester’s working families. We’re preserving what makes Hallsville special and creating housing that will serve this neighborhood for generations to come.”
— Preston Hunter, vice president of business development at PROCON and a member of the development team
Ayotte said the project demonstrates how state and local officials can work with private partners to reuse an existing building for housing. She described housing as New Hampshire’s most important economic issue and said the development would preserve Hallsville School while creating 36 homes.
Project details
- Location: Jewett Street in Manchester
- Housing: 36 apartments, most income-restricted
- Building: A former schoolhouse constructed in 1891
- Completion: Expected in approximately one year
The development will retain much of the school’s original character as the building is adapted for residential use. The project’s development team and financing partners joined city and state officials at the ceremony marking the start of construction.
