Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Fort Collins to Convert 1980s Office Park into Junior High School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/01/25

The Liberty Common School, a charter-public school in Fort Collins, Colo., recently broke ground on an adaptive reuse project that will convert an 1980s-era office park into a 45,000-square-foot junior high school for seventh- and eighth-grade students, according to a news release. The school currently has three campuses—two for K–6 students, and one for 7–12 students. The school is partnering with design-build firm Neenan Archistruction on the project, which is scheduled to open in fall 2025.

The work involves renovating two existing buildings into classrooms, connected by a new facility that will house the gymnasium and cafeteria, the news release reports. Creating a single facility will provide safety and security benefits and streamline campus navigation. Parking spaces around the facility will be converted into green, outdoor spaces for student use.

“All of our partners on this project have been absolutely wonderful,” said Bill Pigg, Neenan Archistruction president. “We’ve had the privilege of working with Liberty Common School once again, and their commitment to providing a classical education is truly inspiring. We also appreciate the collaborative efforts of Jeff Jensen, the building’s owner representative, and the City of Fort Collins, whose support was crucial in securing our permits.”

The full design-build process will take about ten months, compared to the average charter-school-construction time of about 15 months, the news release reports. Neenan partnered with the school to review both new construction and adaptive reuse options for the new junior high school. The office park was both financially efficient and close to an existing campus.

“Transforming an outdated office building into a fully functional school campus takes a great deal of planning and coordination, and we are incredibly grateful for our partnership with Neenan and the City of Fort Collins in bringing this vision to life,” said Kathleen Kearney, Liberty Common Junior High School principal and project manager. “A student’s environment plays a vital role in their education and we can’t wait to welcome Liberty Common Junior High students to their new campus this fall.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Miami University Approves New $242M Multipurpose Arena

    Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, recently announced that its Board of Trustees has approved construction of a new multipurpose arena at Cook Field, according to university news. The $242-million project will serve as a new centralized hub for student life and create space for economic development on campus.

  • Image courtesy of Kahler Slater

    UW–Madison Announces Completion of Morgridge Hall

    The University of Wisconsin–Madison recently announced that construction is complete on Morgridge Hall, a new academic building, according to a news release. The facility opened September 3 at the start of the fall semester, consolidating the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences into a single facility for the first time.

  • University of Kansas Breaks Ground on Entrepreneurship Hub

    The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new KU Entrepreneurship Hub, according to university news. The Hub is part of the university’s School of Business and will include spaces for experiential learning and programming.

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.