Surplus School Buildings Open For Tours
Part of the problem of losing hundreds of thousands of residents over a half century is a surplus of buildings. One property owner — The St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) — still has buildings they need to unload. Over the years some former schools have found new owners and new uses. For example, Franklin School:


To facilitate getting other surplus school buildings rehabbed the SLPS has started offering tours of 27 of the buildings they have for sale, from their website:
The Saint Louis Public Schools (SLPS) Building Revitalization Collaborative was established in 2015 to promote the redevelopment of District-owned properties no longer in use as schools.
In the spring and summer of 2015, SLPS will be scheduling a series of public open houses at the closed schools and community forums to discuss possible repurposing scenarios for each property.
By bringing together community stakeholders and a technical advisory committee (TAC) comprised of a variety of experts, SLPS hopes to find creative solutions for these properties that will benefit the District and the St. Louis community as a whole.
TAC members include architects, building planners, preservationists, real estate developers, and representatives from the fields of finance, education, construction and healthcare.
and…
The SLPS Building Revitalization Collaborative is holding a series of open houses starting in April. All tours start at 5:30 p.m. and run approximately one hour. Please check the website often, as dates and times of tours are subject to change.
If you’d like to plan ahead, please print and fill out the required RELEASE/WAIVER and bring it with you to the tour.
The buildings are not air-conditioned and have no water or electrical service. Debris and standing water may be present in some areas. Wear appropriate footwear.
The dates for the first 8 have passed, but 19 more remain:
- April 8, 2015: Baden
- April 9, 2015: Walnut Park
- April 13, 2015: Shepard
- April 15, 2015: Cleveland
- April 16, 2015: Stowe
- April 20, 2015: Ford Branch
- April 22, 2015: DeAndreis/Bunche
- April 23, 2015: Ashland Branch
- April 29, 2015: Turner
- April 30, 2015: Cook
- May 4, 2015: Clark
- May 6, 2015: Webster
- May 7, 2015: Jackson
- May 11, 2015: Mark Twain
- May 12, 2015: Scullin
- May 14, 2015: Lyon
- May 18, 2015: Lafayette
- May 19, 2015: Gundlach
- May 26, 2015: Cupples
- May 29, 2015: Williams
- June 1, 2015: Sherman
- June 3, 2015: Marshall
- June 4, 2015: Eliot
- June 8, 2015: Gratiot
- June 10, 2015: Wilkinson
- June 11, 2015: Euclid
- June 15, 2015: Banneker
Check out their website for more details, including a map.
— Steve Patterson