Inside the Tannehill Apartments: After years of setbacks, former Moberly school reborn as senior housing
Mitchell Kaminski
MOBERLY, Mo. (KMIZ)
After sitting vacant for years and surviving multiple failed redevelopment attempts, the former Moberly Junior High and High School is nearing a new chapter as Tannehill Apartments, a 40-unit affordable housing complex for residents 55 years old and older.
The $22.1 million project is a partnership between ND Consulting Group and the Northeast Community Action Corporation, combining the renovation of the historic school building with new construction on the site. Sixteen apartments were created inside the original school, while 24 new units were added to the rear of the property. It is expected to open by Feb. 15.
The project is part of a growing trend across the US of adaptive reuse projects that turn former public school buildings into living spaces. In 2024 alone, nearly 2,000 apartments were created from former schools.
Ken Nuernberger, president of ND Consulting Group, said former schools often translate well into housing because of their layout.
“Schools are ideal because the classrooms run between 800-and-1,000 square feet, which is about the size of an apartment,” Nuernberger said, noting the abundance of windows allows for natural light in both living spaces and bedrooms.
He added that the old Moberly Junior High School worked particularly well for conversion into 16 units inside the original structure. But preserving the building was far from simple.
Nuernberger said earlier redevelopment proposals stalled largely because of an addition on the back of the school that included a gymnasium on the upper floors. Renovating that portion of the building proved too costly and impractical, leading to repeated rejections from the Missouri Housing Development Commission.
“We decided that the best way to get this building on the front saved is to add an additional 24 units on three stories to the rear,” Nuernberger said. Those units were designed specifically for seniors and allowed the project to move forward financially.
Cost challenges plagued the site for years. Nuernberger said a previous developer attempted to use the lower level of the school, which resulted in expensive and unattractive units. Historic tax credit requirements also limited design flexibility, forcing the development team to repeatedly revise plans.
“In some cases, if you are going to use historic tax credits, some of the standards for the interior of the building would have made it less practical to use it,” Nuremberg said, “So in the end, the combination over time to continue modifying, adapting the plan to what you will see today as a renovated 16 units and a new construction of 24 units was really the challenge.”
Construction broke ground just more than two years ago, though post-COVID-19 supply chain issues and rising costs slowed progress. Crews are now installing final finishes and preparing units for occupancy.
“It was a community project,” Nuernberger said, crediting support from the city, the historic society and downtown business leaders. “They also liked this project because instead of building a new senior project on the prairie outside of town, this is right in the core of the town.”
Tom Sanders, Moberly’s Public Works director, said many residents and elected officials have personal ties to the 1930s-era Moberly school, which was attended by Gen. Omar Bradley.
“A lot of residents, former council members and current council members had attended school here,” Sanders said, “So everybody has a story of what’s important to them.”
Sanders said the city had supported earlier redevelopment efforts for nearly 20 years, but repeated changes to the project model prevented it from gaining traction. ND Consulting became involved about six years ago, bringing a plan that finally aligned preservation goals with financial feasibility.
“The gym on the back was a big factor that it wasn’t going to be financially viable,” Sanders said. He said the city temporarily took ownership of the building and agreed to demolish the gym in 2018 in exchange for parking improvements for the nearby aquatic center.
The city spent $84,000 to remove the gym, a move that reduced redevelopment costs and strengthened the project’s tax credit application.
“It was a mutually beneficial thing,” Sanders said. “A lot of credit doesn’t go to the city for the efforts they make to save old buildings, but they have to be viable projects for it to happen.”
Sanders said the project also addresses a growing housing need in Moberly. A 2018 housing study showed the city needed roughly 400 additional units over a decade. While construction had historically averaged about 20 units per year, development surged recently, with 89 units added last year alone.
Tannehill Apartments includes one- and two-bedroom units ranging from 632-1,000+ square feet. Rents range from about $650 for one-bedroom units to $680 to $725 for two-bedroom units. All one-bedroom apartments have been rented, and most two-bedroom units are already occupied.
Apartments include furnished kitchen appliances, washer and dryer hookups, centralized mailboxes and secure key-card entry. Section 8 vouchers are accepted.
Funding for the project includes a $2.6 million home loan from the Missouri Housing Development Commission, along with federal and state low-income housing tax credits. Those credits generated roughly $10.5 million in equity, with investments from Midwest Housing Equity Group and Monarch Private Capital.
When renovations are complete, the 1930s-era school will reopen as Tannehill Apartments, preserving a landmark while meeting the city’s growing demand for affordable senior housing.
