These Millennials Transformed an Abandoned High School Into Rental Apartments
Did you ever feel like you basically lived at your high school when you were a student? Well, now you kind of can. A viral TikTok is highlighting a group of Millennials who bought and renovated an abandoned high school and converted it into an apartment building—and people have thoughts.
Back in 2019, a group of three young investors purchased a high school building in Homestead, Pennsylvania that had been abandoned for 10 years. They paid $100,000 for the property, with plans to renovate the space into apartments. If you think that sounds like a steal, know that renovation costs quickly add up, and the trio spent an extra $3.3 million to make the space livable. But trust us when we say they spent their money well. Rather than a decrepit building taking up space, there's now lives a 31-unit apartment building you can live in called Bowtie High—which was also the name of the original school.
In the video, TikTok user @alabamamortgageguy shows before-and-after photos of the old school next to the current units. He applauds the group for keeping the essence of the high school in place, noting that they retained a lot of the original flooring in the units and community spaces of the building. (And who doesn't love a quirky, school-themed spot?)
Though these units have been on the market now since 2021, commenters on TikTok have fresh thoughts about the apartments, most of them positive. One person wrote, "Millennials with money doing good things makes me happy." Multiple others praised the trio for repurposing the unused space into affordable apartments, one writing, "The govt should be giving grants for this."
While there aren't many negative responses, some people are bringing up a few points we at House Beautiful thought of too: "My concern would be the asbestos or lead piping but if those things were removed and passed inspection, I’d live there in a quick second." Fair points!
It's not a secret that abandoned places can be beautiful, but it's nice to see some good, old bones transformed into something new. If you're interested in renting out one of these apartments, Bowtie High currently has one- and two-bedroom units available to lease. Rents start at $1,175, and all tenants have access to the original high school basketball court where you can shoot some hoops or cheer on your neighbors.
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