Former Collinsville school turned into 39 apartments

COLLINSVILLE, VA – Have you ever imagined what it would be like to live in a school?

The former John Redd Smith School, which sat idle since it permanently closed in 2018, is now home to 39 apartments.

A ceremonial ribbon-cutting was held to celebrate the transition of the former Collinsville school into what is now called School Drive Apartments.

The developers of JRS Realty Partners, John Garland and Jim Cherney, say they teamed up to address the region’s workforce housing crisis by finding new ways to bring idle and often run-down properties back to life.

“The support and encouragement we have received from local leadership and citizens has made all the difference in the world,” said Cherney. “Almost a decade ago we began to recognize the area’s future potential. Once we began to engage with local leadership, we caught their infectious enthusiasm for the community’s future.”

The partner’s business name is an acronym of the former school’s name.

It was the first building of interest in the area, for what has since become known as the Martinsville-Henry County Historic Collective.

The Fieldale School Apartments was their first local project which was completed in February and is fully occupied.

The two other buildings are in Uptown Martinsville and they are the Fayette Street Lofts, Marketplace, and MakerSpace Studios, a mixed-use conversion of the former Winn-Dixie building and the former 7-story BB&T building, to be called “One Ellsworth,” a centerpiece of 63 apartments with a number of commercial retail spaces.

With the four projects, the partners will invest over $25 million in the area.

The rent is between $895 and $1,195 per month and there are less than 6 apartments available now.

“For me, as an environmental engineer, it is extremely gratifying to spare any historically significant building from destruction,” Garland, explained. “Doing so becomes even more fulfilling as you begin see the economic impact you’re having on the community as a whole – in a community you believe in.”