The Froebel School on Jackson Avenue in Muskegon has been empty for more than 20 years. It's the kind of building a town doesn't want to lose, and the kind nobody can afford to fix without help.
On Wednesday, Oct. 7, crews broke ground on the fix. Nonprofit developer Samaritas has started turning the 1930 Spanish Revival school into Froebel Place, a 46-unit affordable housing community. WGVU reported that the renovation will convert old classrooms into apartments ranging from studios to three-bedroom units, along with a community room, auditorium, reception area, courtyard and offices, while preserving key historic features.
Samaritas puts the cost at $16.1 million. Units will be set aside for households earning 30% to 80% of area median income, and in its own announcement, Samaritas said the homes are meant for individuals, families, veterans and descendants of Native American tribes. Public and private funding includes state tax credits and federal grants.
WGVU reported construction is expected to finish in December 2027. Samaritas says it plans to open the doors in spring 2028, and WGVU reported full occupancy is expected by mid-2028.
The state already did some heavy lifting
The building didn't come to Samaritas as a total wreck. According to an Aug. 25 memo to the Muskegon City Commission from Jake Eckholm, the city's economic development services director, the city used a $1.2 million State Land Bank grant to stabilize the school. That work included a complete roof replacement, conditioning, repair and replacement of the exterior terracotta tile, new storm drainage systems, and extensive interior abatement of what the memo called environmentally sensitive materials.
The same memo explains why the city signed a site access agreement before the property even changed hands. Samaritas was set to close with the city at the end of September, but to keep the 46-unit project on schedule it needed contractors on site in early September. Waiting could have meant resubmitting some bids, with longer delays and cost overruns. The commission approved what city records title an access agreement for Pinnacle Construction at Froebel School. It gives Pinnacle, listed in the agreement as a Michigan corporation at 1000 Front St. in Grand Rapids, permission to enter the site for the submitted scope of work once city staff sign off in writing. The agreement was written to limit the city's liability between construction start and closing, with the city named as an additional insured on the project's liability policy.
That agreement is the only public document we found naming a construction firm on the job. Neither Samaritas nor WGVU names a general contractor, so the general contractor isn't public, even though Pinnacle is the firm cleared for the pre-closing work.
A September memo to the commission said the city split off the vacant schoolyard before closing on Sept. 29. Samaritas hopes to eventually apply for a second phase on that land, and because of how the state scores housing applications, the city is keeping ownership of the schoolyard until an application is made.
A school with a long memory
The groundbreaking drew at least one guest with deep roots in the place. Samaritas said 94-year-old Beverly Rodgers, a former Froebel student, traveled from North Carolina with her son to help celebrate the building's next chapter.
"For Samaritas, this project represents what affordable housing is really about: preserving community, creating stability, and giving more people the opportunity to flourish," the nonprofit said.
Samaritas, which has offices in Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit, called the project part of its commitment to expanding housing access across Michigan.
Why it matters for Contractors
Vacant schools keep turning into housing across Michigan, and they are tricky jobs, with historic features to save, classroom layouts to carve into apartments, and new MEP systems threaded through old construction. Froebel Place had its roof, terracotta, drainage and abatement handled first with state land bank money, which is a smart way to cut risk before a developer takes over. Interior demolition, framing, drywall, plumbing, HVAC, electrical, finish carpentry and historic restoration work should all be in play through 2027. If a second phase on the schoolyard moves forward, new construction could follow on the same block. Subs who want a piece of the current job should reach out to Samaritas and keep an eye out for a general contractor to be named publicly.