Walter French and Capital Area Housing Partnership
With support from the Revitalization and Placemaking grant program, a former school in Lansing became a haven of affordable housing and wraparound services, to give everyone a place to call home.
Originally built in 1925, the former Walter French Junior High School was donated to Capital Area Housing Partnership (CAHP) in 2017, allowing for a mission-driven redevelopment to take shape. Today, the historic building has been restored and reimagined as a hub for affordable housing and community services.
With nearly $40 million in public and private investment, including a $5 million Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) grant through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), CAHP has transformed more than 200,000 square feet of the structure into affordable homes and essential community-serving space.
A Generous Donation
The Eyde family had long owned the Walter French building and recognized its significance to the community. In 2017, they approached CAHP with the idea of donating it to an organization that could bring it back to life in a way that served Lansing residents.
“We shared a common belief that the building could be a catalyst for neighborhood revitalization and agreed on a vision that prioritized affordable housing, supportive services, and community investment. Their generous donation was a turning point that made everything else possible,” said Emma Henry, Executive Director of CAHP.
Walter French holds deep emotional and historical significance for Lansing residents, many of whom either attended the school themselves or have strong family ties to it. From the beginning, CAHP approached the project with the intent to preserve and honor those memories. They engaged alums, the local library, and neighborhood leaders to gather input, document the building's legacy, and ensure the redevelopment respected its architectural character. The goal was to create something new without erasing what came before: a place that reflects both the building's past and the future of the community.
An Opportunity and a Challenge
The Walter French building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014 following a nomination by preservation consultant Ryan Schumaker, who is now the State Historic Preservation Officer with the MEDC. “It is fulfilling to come full circle and see new life being breathed into the former Walter French Junior High School,” said Schumaker. “By using historic tax credits in conjunction with other incentive programs, this project has demonstrated the impact these incentives have on providing affordable housing to the residents of Michigan.”
The listing presented both an opportunity and a challenge. It enabled CAHP to leverage historic preservation tax credits to support the financing but also required meticulous attention to preservation standards throughout design and construction. Every decision, from windows and flooring to exterior brickwork, had to be carefully considered and approved. While this added complexity and cost, it also reinforced CAHP’s commitment to honor the building's legacy and ensure the final product felt authentic and lasting.
As the project continued, CAHP faced challenges typical of large-scale adaptive reuse, such as layered financing, environmental remediation, and rising construction costs, as well as unique hurdles like navigating preservation compliance and coordinating with over a dozen funding partners. The pandemic added further delays and uncertainty. They braided together federal, state, and local funding, and leaned on trusted nonprofit and government partners to help clear hurdles and stay focused on the end goal: stable, dignified homes for their neighbors.
In September 2022, Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II announced that the Walter French revitalization projects would receive a $5 million RAP grant as part of the city of Lansing’s overall grant application. RAP funding from the MEDC was instrumental in closing a critical financing gap at a time when construction costs were rapidly rising. It allowed CAHP to continue work without scaling back quality or affordability and made it possible to activate key community-focused spaces like the on-site childcare center and nonprofit headquarters.
“Without RAP support, the project may have stalled or been forced to compromise on the very elements that made it transformational. This investment not only saved a landmark but ensured it would serve as a place of opportunity for decades to come,” said Henry.
Before and after renovation (photography by Jennifer McKinstry, Canopy Creative Professionals)
Everyone Has a Place to Call Home
CAHP planned to repurpose the building as a mixed-use, mixed-income project with 76 affordable apartments and two floors of commercial space to include a childcare center and a community resource center. CAHP identified a severe local need for supportive housing for individuals facing chronic homelessness or significant barriers to stability. By working with local Continuum of Care partners and leveraging project-based vouchers, they were able to dedicate 19 units with wraparound services to those most in need.
“Our mission is rooted in housing equity, and we knew from the beginning that Walter French had to be more than just beautiful. It had to be deeply impactful. It is a core part of our vision to ensure everyone, especially our most vulnerable neighbors, has a place to call home,” said Henry.
All 76 units were leased within two weeks of opening in January 2025. The overwhelming interest, with more than 2,000 inquiries, spoke volumes about the need for affordable housing in the Lansing region. It validated both the demand for high-quality, income-based housing and the importance of location, dignity, and community in housing design.
As Henry explained, “It is a clear reminder that projects like this are not the exception. They must become the norm. We are using that momentum to advocate for more funding, faster timelines, and continued investment in housing that meets people where they are.”
Learn more about how the MEDC helps housing providers “Make It” in Michigan through the Revitalization and Placemaking program.