Old school transformed into new apartments in Aurora
CHICAGO (CBS) — A former school is now home to families living in Aurora as another shuttered school in the city is being transformed into housing, and a former teacher's reaction to his classroom being turned into an apartment is priceless.
James Stallman taught fifth and sixth grade at the school from 1979 to 1998.
"Look at that. This is where I would have been, writing on the board, right here. And then, of course, that apartment would have been the rest of my classroom," Stallman said.
His large classroom has now been converted into an apartment...and a trash chute.
"Oh, it's the trash room! I gotta take a picture of that! My old classroom is now the trashroom," Stallman said.
Countless memories took place inside Lincoln Elementary School. It served West Aurora School District 129 for 117 years.
"Lincoln Elementary School, originally known as South Lake School, opened its doors in 1891, and at that time, the West Aurora Schools were growing so rapidly that it was soon equipped with a modern gymnasium," said Superintendent Michael Smith of West Aurora School District 129.
Lincoln Elementary School was closed for 15 years. Now, the 39,000-square-foot building has been transformed into 14 new apartment units.
"We really felt that this school was serving not just, you know, it served the community. It served this whole neighborhood," Stallman said. "I love the idea that they'll be families here," Stallman said.
The school closed in 2008 due to low enrollment and remained vacant until construction of the apartments began. To kick off the school year, Fox Valley Apartments inaugurated the new apartment's opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
On the same campus adjacent to the former school, a newly constructed two-story, 28,000-square-foot building has 22 new apartment units. Rachel Flores moved into that building on May 20.
"It means a lot that there's things out there to help people. And there's people willing to help people," Flores said.
Apartments are available to tenants making between $18,000 to $63,000 a year, depending on the family size.