Michigan School for the Blind Campus Redevelopment

[RustTown]

Years in the making, the redevelopment of the former Michigan School for the Blind campus (closed in 1995) in the Old Forest neighborhood on the northwest side of Lansing began this week.  The first phase is was the demolition of the old auditorium building to make room for Walnut Park Apartments, a four story, 106,500 square foot, 72-unit mixed-income apartment building that will include a Lansing Police Department substation on its ground floor.  It will also be LEED certified.

Developed by TWG out of Indianapolis, the project will cost $12.5 million and is scheduled for completion by September of next year.  The next phase will be the renovation of the historic administration building and the former high school as the Abigail Senior Apartments, a 60-unit senior apartment redevelopment scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2019.

The project will costs $13.6 million.  The building will include significant community space for the surrounding Old Forest neighbrhood.  Before this, the Braille Library constructed in 1966 was renovated into the Neighborhood Empowerment Center, a community center home to the local Head Start, Greater Lansing Housing Coalition, and Ingham County Land Bank.  It was renovated between 2010 and 2011:

Finally, the old superintendent's house constructed in 1914 was renovated into the Old Town Manor office building in 2009: