Publication select ▼
ROCHESTER — A group of constituents hoping to repurpose the Rochester Community School District’s historical administration building will soon reveal their plans to the Board of Education and the public.
Robert Bloomingdale, the founder and president of Bloomingdale Construction Co., is leading the charge of the new project, dubbed “The Harrison Center.” He visited the Rochester City Council earlier this month to introduce the idea to council members.
Back in November, Bloomingdale asked the Board of Education to table any action on the district’s currently vacant building at 501 W. University Drive until he had an opportunity to make a full and comprehensive proposal Feb. 23.
“Our intent for the building is to create a community center — a building, a facility, that would be available to the community at large,” he said.
Since then, Bloomingdale has been working with a team to develop the proposal, including: Sue Keels, the former director of the Royal Park Hotel; Teckla Rhoads, the chair of Paint Creek Center for the Arts board; Jaymes Vettraino, of Vettraino Consulting; Klint Pleasant, from Rochester Christian University; Tom Johnson, principal at Landmark Development; Domenic Morelli, vice president of Life Remodeled, a Detroit-based nonprofit focused on community revitalization; and others.
Everybody has the impression that the building is in horrible shape, according to Bloomingdale.
“It kind of is, but kind of isn’t,” he said.
“The atrium is a wreck, the roof is going to need replacement within a couple of years, and the elevators need replacing, so there is work that needs to be done there, but it’s not insurmountable.”
The new community center, Bloomingdale explained, would focus on community health and well-being, community engagement, art and culture, and community security.
Keels is charged with recruiting nonprofits that could provide services for people who need something spiritually, emotionally, physically, financially and/or socially.
“If we are successful in this, Sue would then probably become the director of the building, and so she would manage tenants and all of that,” Bloomingdale said.
Community engagement, he explained, would be the focus of the main level of the building, with the existing auditorium and atrium.
“In my mind, it’s a perfect place to hold community events, which could be movies or talent shows or speaker series or whatever. In fact, the school board has asked, if we make a deal, could we have our school board meetings there? We said maybe, so it’s a great place,” Bloomingdale said.
Rhoads is tasked with supporting arts and culture within the project.
The fourth area, community security, is “near and dear” to Bloomingdale’s heart.
“It is simply this: a study of what causes anti-social behavior,” he explained.
The team hopes to create a group of graduate students or others who have studied psychology to comb through studies and research to find the best support that could be offered at the community center for those headed down a troubling path.
“(We want to know) what can we learn from it and quickly develop some kind of plan, or opportunity to insert ourselves in the path of somebody headed toward that, or pull them into our sphere where we might influence it,” Bloomingdale added.
The proposed plan will be presented during the Feb. 23 RCS Board of Education meeting.
“My thought is that we will present a convincing enough case that they will then want to enter into negotiations with us,” Bloomingdale said. “As anybody would have to, they have to justify what they do.”
Councilwoman Marilyn Trent said she is “really impressed’ with the idea, especially Morelli, of Life Remodeled, which remodeled a former elementary and middle school in Detroit into what the organization calls “an opportunity hub,” providing resources like after-school programs, career preparedness, and support in accessing health care, financial literacy, and more.
“It shows you it can be done,” she said. “That what you’re talking about can be done and has been done.”
During public comment at the Jan. 12 Rochester City Council meeting, two others offered their opinions.
Although Vito Pampalona, of Vito Anthony Homes, complimented Bloomingdale on the work he has done thus far on what he called “a very difficult project, at best,” he wasn’t sold on the idea.
“My concern is that it is one of the premier sites remaining in the city, or maybe even the premier site in the city, so what happens there could dictate what’s going to happen up and down University over next 10-20 years, because a lot of redevelopment of some of these existing single family homes could happen. I think making a decision on this is probably one of the most important decisions that will be made in this city for quite a long time,” he said.
Pamplona feels the property, with its residential zoning, is better suited for “a beautiful small village of higher-end homes” that “would complement the city” and “bring in $500,000-$600,000 a year in property taxes.”
He also had concerns about asbestos and the condition of the current building.
“I don’t even know if that building is habitable, so we wouldn’t want to get into a situation where we have people occupying the building and they are getting sick and we have a major problem,” he said.
Bloomingdale said he has “an extensive report” on asbestos in the building.
“The only concern about asbestos would be in the fire doors, which may happen and may not. Everything else is clear,” he said.
Rochester resident Jane Turner said she started at the former school-turned-administration building in 1954, when it was a grade school, junior high and senior high.
“I really respect (Bloomingdale) for trying to do something with it,” she said. “It’s not an eyesore, and we don’t need more houses.”
A school building has been on the site since 1847, Rochester-Avon Historical Society President Tiffany Dziurman said, when a private academy was first built on the property. It was converted to a public school in 1857, burned down in a reported arson fire in 1888 and was eventually replaced with a new school in 1889 — first known as the Avon School District #5 Schoolhouse and eventually renamed the William S. Harrison School. In 1916, the first Rochester High School building was built at the corner of University Drive and Wilcox Street, and it was eventually connected to the Harrison School building via an addition in 1928. The 1889 Harrison School building was placed on the Michigan Register of Historic Places in 1987, although an official marker was never erected for the building. The district’s last major renovation of the structure was in 1988.
Knowing that the building is in dire need of updates, the school district hired architect Kingscott & Associates to complete an assessment of the structure in 2018, which identified issues with infrastructure, code and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance that would cost the district anywhere between $21.2 million and $29.1 million in renovations. Tearing it down and constructing a new facility would cost between $26.4 million and $31.4 million, according to the 2018 report.
The district ultimately opted to purchase the former Letica Corp. office and warehouse facility at 52585 Dequindre Road for $7 million to serve as its new administration building, leaving the old building vacant.
Bloomingdale said his team has resolutions from all three local historic commissions — The Rochester Historic Commission, the Rochester-Avon Historical Society, and the Oakland Township Historic District Commission — saying that they express an interest and a desire to save the historic building.
“Which is what we would do, basically, 100%,” he said.
In response to an email from the Post, Lori Grein, executive director of strategic communications for Rochester Community Schools, said, “Regarding the inquiry about the 501 W. University Drive location, the district has always encouraged interested parties to share creative or unique proposals for alternative use or redevelopment of the property. Although we are grateful that discussions are taking place, the Rochester Community School District has not currently received a formal proposal for board consideration.
