Three vacant Minneapolis schools for sale, buyer must get creative

You could be the proud owner of a former school building in Minneapolis.

Three shuttered Minneapolis Public Schools buildings are for sale: Tuttle, which closed in 2008; Gordon, which closed in 2005; and Willard, which also closed in 2005.

The buildings went on the market with Commercial Equities Group about 45 days ago, and developers will have to get creative. One of the conditions is that buyers can’t use the space for a charter school or anything else that would compete with MPS.

“We are hearing from developers and, my guess, it will become some sort of housing,” said Jeff Salzbrun, a managing partner at Commercial Equities Group.

At Willard School, he says many prospective buyers are interested in the gymnasium and theater area but the architectural details and natural light are also selling points.

“Some of these features you don’t see in modern buildings,” he said.

The sale of these buildings could help the cash-strapped school district. According to information released by Minneapolis Public Schools, it’s still costly to carry the empty buildings. The four-year average cost for electricity and natural gas is around $24,000 at Willard, $60,000 at Tuttle and more than $12,000 at Gordon.

There have been other redevelopment projects like this across the country. In some cases, old school buildings have been transformed into breweries, pickleball arenas and senior housing.

For more information on the buildings for sale, click here.