School House Apartments

The Kraus Senior Center at 441 S. Main Street, located in the historic Cary Public School Building just a half mile from downtown Cary, stood vacant for roughly a year after senior center activities (which had operated out of the building since 2003) were relocated to a newer, more accommodating community center. Just a year prior to the relocation of the senior center, the village of Cary and the Regional Transportation Authority began the process of creating a new downtown strategic plan aimed at guiding future investment and development. Important to the adopted plan were the goals of increasing density and maximizing land-use efficiency near the downtown core, which would likely necessitate rezoning. Also considered in the plan was the redevelopment of vacant and underutilized buildings or sites near downtown, one of which being the site of the old Cary Public school. Thus, when senior center activities were relocated out of the 441 S. Main Street building, the village quickly identified the site’s redevelopment as aligning with its new downtown strategic plan and put out an RFP for the site’s adaptive re-use.

True North’s initial proposal was warmly received by the village board and was only slightly adjusted after input from board members and residents. The original plan proposed the construction of three new three-story buildings but was scaled back to the construction of two new three-story buildings. The main concerns were the development’s size and landscape buffering, but this didn’t lead to broader opposition. After an impressively quick turnaround, the village approved both the $100,000 sale of the old schoolhouse and the rezoning of its lot. Just three years after the senior center’s relocation, Cary Schoolhouse Apartments opened its doors in 2024 and is now fully leased.

The old schoolhouse building was remodeled into four luxury apartments with special attention paid to its historical character; and two additional three-unit luxury apartment buildings were also constructed on the site (for a total of ten rental units). There are 2-bed/1-bath and 3-bed/2-bath options, ranging in size from 900 to 1,300 square feet that rent at market-rate. Each apartment comes with its own garage space but is also in a prime location, within a short walk from downtown Cary, the Cary Metra station, and several parks, schools, and churches. Since its completion, it’s been touted by neighbors and village leaders alike for its creative re-use and appealing design.