Examines the transformation of a railroad warehouse into a college bookstore. The new 24,600 square-foot facility also is an art gallery, textbook center, gift shop, lunch counter, and coffee bar that is open to the public as well as students. (GR)

This manual provides recommendations for school boards and communities concerning the leasing, selling, and marketing of school buildings. The reuse potential of each type of school building is investigated, and suggestions are made for successful conversions. Design considerations and the many aspects of acquiring and developing a school reuse…

Discusses the renovation of a gardner's cottage that provided students of Sarah Lawrence College with a place to meet and socialize. The building's history, features, and interior design features are highlighted. (GR)

The Samuel F. B. Morse School, built in 1874 and closed in 1980, is a historic landmark in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Now the building serves as low-income housing for 70 elderly tenants and is praised as being an imaginative and creative use of an old school structure. (MLF)

The Surplus Schools Project was designed to stimulate and encourage the adaptive use and preservation of vacant school buildings in New York State. Through a statewide competition, the Preservation League selected four surplus schools that were located in four distinctly different communities and presented a broad range of problems and…

Rental of surplus school district property, arranged by a property management company, reduced the deficit of the properties for the Madison Metropolitan School District, Wisconsin. (MLF)

With community cooperation, imagination, and marketing skills, school buildings can be converted to other community uses. Tables summarize recent sales in Delaware. (MLF)

The conversion of a deteriorating shopping center to a 2,000-student K-12 school unit in Dallas (Texas) met the spirit and letter of a federal court order. (Author/MLF)

The Central Park Project, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, illustrates the importance of participation in the design process and the impact of school sites on children as well as on the surrounding neighborhood. (Author/MLF)

Describes how renovation can transform a school to a state-of-the-art facility without having to work from the ground up. Examined are the planning and design phases, the outer structure upgrading, the installation of more efficient heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, and renovation costs. (GR)

At the same time that schools are closing in many communities because of declining enrollments, the arts are expanding at the community level. The problem of surplus school space can be the solution to the needs of many artists and arts groups. Mutual to the arts groups and the communities are the benefits of flexible arrangements and the presence…

As library funding decreases, choosing to convert an unused building into a library is a beneficial alternative to building a new facility. Reuse saves money, building time, and gains greater community support. Offers advice on how to choose a location and what to look for in structure, mechanics, electrical resources; and discusses challenges in…

Discusses (1) factors supporting day care center remodeling; (2) assessing building suitability for remodeling; (3) documents to help in assessment; (4) creating a team; (5) cost and funding; and (6) overall design considerations. Emphasizes unique children's needs. Includes tips on indoor environments, individual classrooms, the playground, and…

In many communities new arrangements of surplus school space have been made that facilitate use of the space by the people of the districts, encourage government agencies to anticipate and support social transitions where they are necessary, and allow school districts to improve the quality of their programs. This paper is a survey of some of…