ven after devoted Nelsonville High School alumni formed the Nelsonville High School Restoration Foundation to save the abandoned building from demolition, they faced no easy effort in finding a new use and developer for the project. It wasn’t until 2013, 20 years after the school closed, when Woda Cooper Companies joined efforts with those alumni to bring life back to the building through the use of historic and low income housing tax credits. Made up of two Classic Revival buildings, built in 1907 and 1924, both were in a state of high disrepair. Using creative solutions, the old school buildings have been converted into 33 historically-sensitive apartments. The $9.6 million redevelopment included the auditorium, which is now used as community space. Nelsonville now celebrates the revitalization of this community icon.
The award was presented to City Architecture and Woda Cooper Companies.