Repurpose The Extant John K. Stark School into A Residential Re-entry Facility
The Jackson County Legislature has recently approved a zoning change for the repurposing of the extant John K. Stark School, located at 17th & Stark Avenue, Blue Summit, MO, into a residential re-entry facility. B+A Architecture was hired to provide preliminary design for the proposed adaptive re-use, and for the modernization and renovation of the existing building.
Part of the challenge of renovating the building is that it is currently in a state of disrepair to the extent that virtually nothing remains to be salvaged. Following decades of vacancy, building is at the cusp of being not salvageable due to vandalism, illegal refuse dumping, criminal activity, and multiple fires.
Planned to undergo an entire “bare bones” demolition, the new residential re-entry facility will have modern mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and interior finishes with mindfulness of the original art deco styling in the main lobby and corridor. The remodel plan will change very little from that of the original floor plan. Essentially, it will become a new and modern building inside the original structure. The building will maintain its iconic Art Deco exterior, to be completed with brick and stone masonry restoration.
