DULUTH — The former Nettleton Elementary School building at 108 E. Sixth St. in Central Hillside will soon see new residents after being transformed into apartments.
Closed since 2013, the structure was built in 1905, with additions constructed in 1945 and 1987.
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In 2018, Duluth School District
entered into a $165,000 sales agreement
with Duluth-based Heirloom Property Management, which manages roughly 800 properties.
“These projects take a timeline of their own because you uncover a lot as you take things apart and have to problem-solve ... and make it work,” said Heirloom President Mike Schraepfer. “There was plenty of that in this building, with it being three different buildings in one.”
Local Initiatives Support Corporation-Duluth,
a nonprofit lender, helped connect Heirloom with financing tools and national resources to make the redevelopment possible.
According to LISC Executive Director Sumair Sheikh, Duluth continues to face significant housing challenges, including historically low vacancy rates and rising construction costs.
“Mike and Heirloom took on something that is critical to our community, so we see that as getting property back online that had been sh...