Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Florida Elementary School Sees Near-Total Rebuild

  • By Matt Jones
  • 07/23/24

Matern Professional Engineering recently announced that work is almost complete on the redevelopment of an elementary school in Fort Myers, Fla., according to a news release. Every building except one on the campus of Franklin Park Elementary School was demolished and replaced with modern facilities. The school was originally built in 1958. The remaining building has been renovated into a shared Media & Community Center, the news release reports.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for August 5th, and the new facility is on track to open its doors to students in time for the 2024–25 academic year. It will have the capacity for 579 students in grades K–5, as well as 100 students in a separate Pre-K building.

“We are proud to help provide these much-needed services to Lee County’s students and families. This underutilized school has an entirely new identity,” said Todd Griffith, Matern’s Sr. Vice President and Director of Southwest Florida. “It is our privilege to work within the southwest Florida community and provide innovative solutions to meet the growing demand for education, healthcare and safety.”

The building was designed to incorporate 21st-century learning principles and features amenities like a community center, hurricane shelter, and community-wide services. The school district partnered with RG Architects for the project’s design, according to the news release.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Hawaii Elementary School Breaks Ground on New Classroom Building

    Kealakehe Elementary School in Kailua, Hawaii, recently began construction on a new, $16-million classroom building for its campus, according to a news release. The 13,000-square-foot building will stand two stories and connect the existing upper and lower campuses.

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.

  • University of Kentucky Receives $150M Gift Toward New Arts District

    The University of Kentucky’s Board of Trustees recently received a $150-million gift from The Bill Gatton Foundation, according to a university news release, to build a new arts district on the campus in Lexington, Ky. The new district will feature a new College of Fine Arts building and a multi-hundred-seat theater, among other amenities.

  • Preparing for the Next Era of Healthcare Education, Innovation

    Across the country, public universities and community colleges are accelerating investments in healthcare education facilities as part of a broader strategy to address workforce shortages, modernize outdated infrastructure, and expand clinical training capacity. These projects, which are often located at the center of campus health and science districts, are no longer limited to traditional classrooms.