50+ Lifestyles

Historical Buchanan School Gaining New Life

By Kim Brown
Property Manager
The Naval Station Apartments

The old Buchanan School, built in 1903 and essentially abandoned since 1988, is receiving a “deep facelift” as it is being brought back to contemporary life. Chris Ales, senior housing developer and owner of Signature Property, is rehabilitating the old school as a new, contemporary 18-unit apartment complex, designed for individuals 50+ in age. It will contain 2-bedroom, 1-bedroom and studio apartments. The complex will be named The Naval Station Apartments and will open this fall. In fact, it is pre-leasing apartments now.

Archival photo of the former Buchanan School courtesy of Wikipedia

The Naval Station will feature one and two-bedroom apartments loaded with amenities including raised garden beds, greenhouse, outdoor fireplace, horseshoe pit, croquet lawn, bike racks and architectural landscaping in accordance with Iowa’s Green Streets Program – as well as the many historic features to be found inside that culminate with a massive sky lite above the stage.

Ales says the Naval Station Apartments will be finished similar to the Gold Coast Apartments.

The school was built in 1903. It operated as an elementary school until 1940. W.J. Vale purchased it in 1947. It was then sold to the U.S. Navy for use as a training center in 1951. The Navy used the building until 1978 after which it sat vacant again until 1988 when it was first used to store antique auto parts. Having suffered extensive weather damage, Ales announced renewed plans to renovate the building and repurpose it as apartments in 2014. Following the Iowa Economic Development Authorities’ 2017 announcement of its last award of CDBG funds from the 2008 flood, structural repairs began and renovations are expected to be complete in 2018.

The rectangular structure, bounded by Telegraph Road, Oak Street and West 6th Street in Davenport, is two stories high and built with yellow/brown bricks, trimmed with a red/brown sandstone and ornate metal cornices.

Ales said he expects leasing and occupancy to be completed before 2018’s winter weather arrives. Most

recently, Ales successfully converted the historic Kahl Home in Davenport into the Gold Coast Apartments.