The inauguration of the School Drive Apartments in the former John Redd Smith School was celebrated with a November 16 ribbon cutting that was attended by several county officials, community members, former students, and tenants.
Joe Bryant, of the Collinsville District and vice-chairman of the Henry County Board of Supervisors, said the school was one of five new public schools built in the county in the early 1950s to educate the then-burgeoning student population.
“At the time, the region was experiencing an unprecedented era of growth and prosperity. With the return of the young men from World War II, and the booming furniture and textile industries, our birthrate and population began to dramatically increase,” he said.
While the school closed in 2018, Bryant, a former student, said it saw thousands of children walk through its hallways, along with hundreds of teachers, staff members, and administrators guiding those students throughout its 66 years of operation.
“Today, the teachers and students of John Redd Smith may be gone, but the building remains. The building history in the community will resonate for many years to come,” Bryant said.
Like in 1950, he said the region is experiencing an era of growth and prosperity.
Earlier this year, Press Glass, the largest independent glass fabricator in Europe, announced it would invest an additional $155.2 million to expand its Ridgway facility located in the Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre.
“There are very positive economic indicators, but they do leave us with one major hurdle: How do we accommodate all the growth that’s going to be coming to this area,” Bryant asked.
The building that was John Redd Smith School emerged as a piece of that puzzle, he said.
“In some ways, the purpose of this building is changing, but in other ways, it’s staying the same. Our workers began to start their families, these halls and former classrooms will once again allow children to grow and thrive,” he said.
Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Mark Heath said School Drive Apartments will help address the area’s need for more housing, and help its growing employment base.
“School Drive adds a modern, vibrant, reformed option as we work to build a workforce for all ages providing the variety of skills needed in today’s employee,” he said.
Heath said that local historic architecture being preserved is also significant, and is “a key factor that appeals to all ages. People are looking for communities that appreciate their past and incorporate its historic architecture properties like John Redd into the mix, creating a more unique sense of place,” he said.
For example, the old schools’ chalkboards were kept because of their historic value, according to the Department of Historic Resources (DHR).
Jim Cherney, co-developer of JRS Realty Partners, LLC, said the completion of this building and the Fieldale School apartments less than a year ago, the company hopes to support the community’s vision for establishing and creating workforce housing.
“Not only as a place to store people, but a sense of community around these developments, which John (Garland, co-developer) and I are engaged in,” he said. “John and I are firm, community-minded developers, and we feel as though we have a residency here in Henry County-Martinsville.”
Garland said several people played a role in making this vision come to fruition, including the construction workers, contractors, tenants, and others involved in the project.
“So, I want to add my thanks to the visionaries of Henry County, because without Henry County deciding to do what they did, which is to save an old building, we wouldn’t be here and this building would be in a landfill somewhere, and what a shame that would be,” he said.
When an old building like the school is saved, it’s the most environmentally conscious thing that can be done, Garland said.
“It doesn’t end up in the dump, building a new building, replacing all this stuff is very environmentally” harsh, “as you have to reduce everything, and they’re built so well,” he said.
The company received a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO) and began leasing the 39 apartments in the former school in October, Cherney said of the seven are two-bedroom apartments and 25 one-bedroom apartments.
“Basically, in two to three weeks we had the top two floors rented. We got our Certificate of Occupancy at the beginning of November, and I think we only had about six units left,” he said, adding that 32 of the units are currently rented.
“The lease rate is $895 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,095 for a two-bedroom. So, that brings in right in range with what the average median income is for the neighborhood,” Cherney said.
This is the second project completed in the series of redevelopments called the Martinsville-Henry County Historical Collective.
The first was the Fieldale School apartments, which held its ribbon cutting in February. Currently, all 23 apartments in that property are leased.
The other two projects in the Historic Collective are the Fayette Street Lofts, which will include 25 loft apartments, nine studio apartments, and two storefront retail locations.
The other is One Ellsworth which will have 50 one-bedroom apartments, 12 two-bedroom apartments, and one one-bedroom apartments, in addition to first-floor and ground-floor retail spaces, a basement commercial space, and a mountain-view rooftop venue.
Cherney said the next ribbon cutting will be at the Fayette Street Lofts. It is expected to be later this year or early 2024.
Dr. Ben Boone, Assistant Superintendent of Operations and Administrative Services and former principal at John Redd Smith School, was among the speakers at the event, along with Kate Keller, president of the Harvest Foundation.
For rental information, call or text property manager Hunter Clark at (276) 732-3992, or email hclark@cherneydevelopment.com.
For more information on projects in the collective, visit www.historiccollective.com.
