Albion College transfers ownership of historic Washington Gardner School to nonprofit

ALBION — A historic school building in Albion is changing hands.

Albion College has entered into an agreement to transfer ownership of the Washington Gardner School, 14 N. Huron St., to the Michigan-based nonprofit Zero Day, college officials announced Tuesday. The nonprofit intends to develop the school building into an affordable senior residence with community amenities and space for vocational training and employment programs for veterans.

“We are excited to have found a partner in Zero Day, who comes with a long track record of supporting community development and transforming lives in Michigan,” Albion College President Wayne Webster said in a news release. “We are confident this agreement will serve the residents of the city of Albion, while preserving the legacy of one of its most treasured citizens, Mr. Washington Gardner.”

The college assumed ownership of the Washington Gardner property in 2011 through a public bidding process following the 2009 closure of Washington Gardner Middle School, with the goal of preserving one of Albion’s beloved historical landmarks and finding a permanent use for the property that would meet real and emergent college needs.

In the intervening years, however, the property has remained significantly underutilized. At its peak, the property has been used to house a golf simulator and practice space, art studios, flexible meeting and presentation spaces, class space during the pandemic, and as a COVID-19 testing center for Calhoun County.

The 2.875-acre site and 117,000 square foot, three-story school building is named after one of Albion’s well-known citizens, Washington Gardner. Gardner had an extremely varied background that included being a soldier, an attorney, a banker, an industrialist, a Methodist minister, professor and vice president at Albion College, Secretary of State for Michigan, a six-term member of the U.S. Congress, and an author, college officials said.

“Over the past few months as we’ve analyzed the college’s existing real estate footprint, Washington Gardner continued to be among the locations of interest for cost savings due to its lack of use over an extended period and the lifecycle costs of maintenance and operation,” Webster said. “When meeting with city leaders and reaching out to potential partners, our priority was to identify a productive use for the location that would serve the interests of the City of Albion and Michigan, while preserving the legacy of Mr. Gardner. It also was paramount that the property included deed restrictions so that it is not used now or any time in the future in a manner detrimental to the safety, appearance, or learning environment of Albion College and the local community.”

Zero Day, together with long-term partners Allied Argenta and Cinnaire, will renovate the Washington Gardner property to accommodate approximately 61 affordable senior housing units as well as service spaces. Residents will be able to take advantage of amenities such as transportation, community events, wellness programs, vocational training/certifications, and employment programs provided through Zero Day’s comprehensive veteran services. Interested Albion College students will also be able to seek out volunteer and vocational training opportunities through the program, officials said.

A public process focused on assessing the viability of this project, including working with local government around zoning and permits, will now begin. Zero Day will also use this time to accumulate grant and tax credit funding to make the reimagining of this space possible.

"It is expected that these processes will take one year to be completed and during that time we will analyze where our programs currently housed in this space can be relocated on campus," college officials said.

Contact reporter Greyson Steele at gsteele@battlecreekenquirer.com

This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Albion's historic Washington Gardner School under new ownership