AURORA, ILL. — McShane Construction Co. has completed Fox Valley Apartments in Aurora on behalf of Housing For All LLC in collaboration with Visionary Ventures, Cordogan Clark & Associates and JTE Real Estate Services. The project includes one new building and two renovated historic school buildings to offer a total of 47 affordable housing units.
McShane remodeled Lincoln Elementary School, a 39,000-square-foot building originally constructed in 1893, to accommodate 14 units. The school closed in 2007 due to low enrollment and remained vacant until construction of the apartments began. Also on that site, McShane constructed a new, two-story building to offer 22 units.
Originally an elementary school, Mary A. Todd School was transformed into 11 apartment units and a healthcare clinic for uninsured or underinsured families. The building was originally constructed in the early 1900s and most recently housed West Aurora School District’s early childhood programs until the programs were moved to a new facility in 2019.
During the remodeling process, McShane kept historical features of the schools, including trim, flooring, chalkboards, lockers, windows and doors. Cordogan Clark & Associates designed the units, which are offered in one- to three-bedroom floor plans. Amenities include a laundry room, community room, computer lab and tenant storage. Thirty percent of the units are reserved for tenants who earn 30 percent or less of the area median income.