Calling all educated investors who are seeking a lucrative opportunity—and a lesson in what it means to breathe new life into an abandoned building.
While the housing market is brimming with neglected or deserted homes, there are other, rarer properties to be found for those on the lookout for a more unique abode: disused schools.
Once a home of structured instruction, these buildings often come complete with fascinating histories, as well as incredible design details, including high ceilings, enormous rooms, and original hardwood floors.
Some even offer a wealth of more unique amenities, including built-in gymnasiums, outdoor sports courts, acres of land, and professional-grade kitchens.
We have rounded up five abandoned schools from California to West Virginia ready to be transformed into your very own dream dwelling.
1. 4200 Sharpe Ln, Anacortes, WA
Price: $395,000
Former Rosario School: Built in 1891, this historic building with a school bell that still rings is located on 1.62 acres on the southwest end of Fidalgo Island.
The structure operated as a public school for 66 years until the Skagit County Historical Society took over “stewardship and preservation.” It is now seeking an investor with “new ideas” to transform the preserved 900-square-foot dwelling, sitting on two lots, into a modern home or build a dream residence.
Offering views of Mount Erie, the rural property also boasts a one-car garage.
George Roth, of Coldwell Banker Bain of Bellingham, is the listing agent.
2. 3520 Madrone St, Rumsey, CA
Price: $695,000
Former Rumsey School House: This 1.3-acre property boasts two structures, including a primary residence with bell tower that once served as a school.
Also found throughout the main dwelling are a wood-burning stove, expansive windows, hardwood floors, vaulted ceilings, two lofts, and French doors to a back deck. A detached, two-car garage features a modern studio above with a wood-burning stove, an updated kitchen, wood ceilings, a hideaway bed, and private deck.
An additional air-conditioned, one-room structure could be used for guest accommodations or as a home office or fitness center.
Curtis Stocking, of Green Fields Real Estate, is the listing agent.
3. 352 Franklin St, Jacksonville, IL
Price: $500,000
Commercial and residential opportunity: Here’s a unique live-work opportunity offering residential living on the main floor with business zoning permitted on the lower level.
The combined opportunity boasting “incredible potential” has “tenant-occupied” units on the first floor along with a subterranean level with a full gymnasium, restroom stalls, and locker rooms still intact. Built in 1939, the brick building recently received a $100,000 price chop in effort to attract a quick sale.
An expansive parking lot can also be found on the 4.22-acre property.
Clay Yates, of The Real Estate Group, Inc., is the listing agent.
4. 100 17th St, Wellsburg, WV
Price: $130,000
1891 school: This affordably priced, brick building with “endless potential” boasts 8,456 square feet of space ready to be reimagined.
The structure features a one-bedroom apartment, offering the next owner the opportunity to live on site while converting the rest of the space into a multifamily investment, business venture, or luxurious single-family residence. Also found throughout the combined “built-in income/living potential” are high ceilings, exposed brick walls, and hardwood floors.
It is located next to Wellsburg City Park and near the Ohio River.
Erica Tamburin, of RE/MAX Broadwater, is the listing agent.
5. 218 Ware St, Del Rio, TX
Price: $45,000
Former Tarver School: Built in 1930, this very affordable, 1,092-square-foot structure once served as a school for African-American students that was organized as early as 1901 and closed in 1957.
The inexpensive building boasts a gutted interior that provides a blank canvas for the next owner’s conversion. Ready to be “transformed into your next big project,” the one-room dwelling offers the opportunity for buyers to preserve a historic investment.
It is unclear if the property is zoned residential or commercial, so buyers are encouraged to do their due diligence.
Sergio Diaz, of SEL Realty LLC, is the listing agent.
