McShane Construction Company was selected by Housing For All, LLC in collaboration with Visionary Ventures, Cordogan Clark & Associates and JTE Real Estate Services to build Fox Valley Apartments in Aurora, Illinois. McShane will renovate two historic school buildings and construct one new building to provide a total of 47 affordable housing units.

“This project is a unique opportunity to take two historic school buildings that served the community well and convert them into housing to better support the community moving forward,” shared Susan Uhlarik, Director of Multi-Family at McShane. “We look forward to preserving the schools’ histories on these sites while repurposing them into developments that will fulfill current needs of the community.”

At 100 Oak Avenue, McShane will transform the 25,000-square-foot Mary A. Todd School into 11 apartment units and a health clinic for low-income families in the area. The building was originally constructed in the early 1900s and was most recently used for West Aurora School District’s early childhood programs until the programs were moved to a new facility in 2019.

At 641 S. Lake Street, McShane will renovate the 39,000-square-foot Lincoln Elementary School to offer 14 apartment units. Originally constructed in the late 1800s, the school has been vacant since 2007, when it was closed due to low enrollment. Additionally, McShane will construct a new two-story, 28,000-square-foot building on the site that will encompass 22 apartment units.

The renovations will incorporate historical elements from the school buildings, including trim, flooring, chalkboards, windows and doors. Units will be offered in one- to three-bedroom floor plans. At least 30% of the units will be reserved for renters at 30% of area median income.

Amenities will include a common laundry room, a community room, a computer lab and tenant storage.

The project is designed to achieve NGBS Silver Certification. Completion is expected for October 2023. Cordogan Clark & Associates is the architect.