By Leslie Collins
Northeast News
November 30, 2011

Instead of students, debris and graffiti now fill the halls of Thacher Elementary, 5008 Independence Ave. Paint curls at the edges and falls in sheets to the floor. As for the gymnasium, it’s covered in trash and mold, and the ceiling has extensive water damage.

Just two years ago, Thacher was a fully functioning school, housing the students of the Kansas City Public Schools system.

However, Thacher, along with more than 30 other schools were shuttered as part of the district’s right-sizing initiative to balance the district’s budget and pool resources.

During the Nov. 21 repurposing meeting at North-East Public Library, KCPS representatives provided an update on reuse strategies and the current condition of the building.

“It’s unique because Thacher’s not a standalone site. It shares 8 acres with Northeast Middle School,” KCPS Repurposing Initiative Director Shannon Jaax said.

Northeast Middle School is currently being “mothballed” to accommodate the school district’s future needs, she said.

“We haven’t received any interest in Thacher itself, but we have received interest in the larger 8-acre parcel,” Jaax said.

Jaax spoke with those in charge of the mothballed sites, who said they are open to including Northeast Middle School in the sale.

Both sites continue to be targets of vandalism, she said. One month ago, several youth tried to break into Northeast Middle School while Jaax was standing outside, she said.

“Unfortunately, it’s a daily occurrence with the loitering of students,” she said.

A closer look at Thacher

Located in the Indian Mound neighborhood, the three story building spans 34,100 square feet with an architecture style of Second Renaissance Revival.

The original building was built in 1900 and a second addition was added in 1914. In January, arson gutted the second floor of the 1914 addition and severely compromised the first floor. Other than smoke and water damage, the original building was not affected.

“It is really a lovely, very elegant school building,” Elizabeth Rosin with Rosin Preservation said.

Both Rosin and Tim Wilson of SWD Architects were hired by the district to assess the building.

Wilson said the building has a “very attractive design” and noted the multi-colored brick work and intricate detailing.

While the exterior is structurally sound, the interior is in poor condition.

“The building suffered in my mind just as much from interior vandalism as from the fire that happened in the addition,” Wilson said.

In addition to water damage, the building is no longer mechanically functional. Vandals have stripped the building of air conditioning units as well as copper and other metals.

Thacher received one of the lowest condition ratings among the schools, earning only 1.5 stars out of five.

“It would take a substantial investment to bring it back to any type of reuse, although it’s not unfeasible,” Rosin said.

Reuse strategies

During a previous meeting, attendees listed several reuse ideas that would benefit the neighborhood, including a community resource/social services center, business incubator, artist studios and commercial uses.

However, Thacher’s market assessment states: “Due to Thacher’s condition, reuse options are limited without partial or total demolition of the facility.”

Those attending the Nov. 21 meeting said they didn’t want residential housing placed on the site and stressed the neighborhood already has plenty of housing options.

One attendee questioned whether grouping the two school sites together would discourage buyers, but a local freelancer disagreed.

“I’ve worked with hundreds of developers,” said Jerry Sargent, a freelance architect and community advocate. “The rule is the bigger the project, the lower the cost per unit. It would be more sellable to more developers if they could get the whole 8 acres. There’s potential to put a huge, positive impact on the neighborhood.”

John Sweeney, associate broker with Reece Commercial, agreed. Sweeney said one of his clients is interested in redeveloping the 8-acre site, which would address not only the safety issues, but also address health and wellness and provide job opportunities. Sweeney said he couldn’t comment on the specifics, but said the project would involve razing both buildings and replacing them with new construction.

He also said his client would invest $25 million into the project.

Asked what the next steps are, Jaax said since there’s interest in both sites, she will schedule a site assessment of Northeast Middle School followed by a public tour of the building in January.

Then, the district will gather formal proposals and submit them to the school board.