New Senior Housing Coming to Collinwood

Jun 24, 2021

A new senior housing project that repurposes the landmarked Henry W. Longfellow School in the Collinwood community and adds a new senior building, broke ground recently with construction to begin soon. 
 
Called “The Longfellow,” it will create 80 new affordable senior apartment units spread between the historic rehabilitation of the existing Longfellow School with a newly constructed building on the property. The entire project cost is estimated at $23.5 million.
 
Vesta Corporation, a leading real estate firm specializing in the acquisition, development and management of multi-family affordable housing communities, is doing the redevelopment and construction with partner Marous Brothers Construction. The plan is to preserve the school building by adapting the classrooms into 30 apartments and refurbishing the auditorium and other prominent features as common space for residents and staff.
 
The redevelopment plan also includes a new building on site with an additional 50 apartments and a connecting walkway providing residents easy access to features in both buildings without exposure to inclement weather and slippery sidewalks.
 
The end result will preserve The Longfellow’s unique architectural features, which are noteworthy, and repurpose the property into a long-lasting source of high-quality affordable senior housing for decades to come.
 
The Longfellow has widespread community support, including Ward 8 Councilman Michael D. Polensek; the Cleveland Restoration Society; the Greater Collinwood Development Corporation; as well as Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, and other neighborhood groups. The Longfellow revival will completely transform the property and help spearhead future development along the East 140 Street corridor.
 
“Having lived in the community my entire life, I understood, all too well, the historical significance of the Henry W. Longfellow school,” said Councilman Polensek, the Dean of Cleveland City Council. “When I picked up this geographical area with the most recent Council redistricting, I made it my personal commitment to landmark the vacant building and to work toward a redevelopment plan.”
 
The Councilman added that, “Vesta Corporation met all of our prerequisites and put forth a true restoration plan to save this critical property for our community. On behalf of the City of Cleveland and the residents of the 8th Ward, we look forward to working with Vesta to create a truly unique senior housing experience at The Longfellow.”
 
The project received federal and state Historic Tax Credits, as well as various types of funding and grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as a loan from the City of Cleveland.