After years of sitting empty and stirring up arguments, the long-vacant Roosevelt School at 900 N Klein finally has a clear path to a new life. The 1924 building, once the subject of demolition plans and neighborhood outcry, is now slated to be turned into housing, with street-level retail rising on the parcel next door. Neighbors and preservation fans, who have heard more than a few grand ideas over the years, are now watching to see if this plan actually turns into construction dust and restored hallways instead of another dead-end proposal.
Sale contract approved; construction deadline set
According to The Oklahoman, the Oklahoma City Redevelopment Authority signed off this week on a sale contract that requires construction to start by April 2027, with completion targeted for roughly November 2029. The school board agreed to sell the property for $1.53 million, and the agreement gives the development team early access so they can begin inspections and planning inside the vacant structure before the official start date.
The team behind the pitch
The project is being led by a local partnership operating as Rough Riders LLC, centered on developers Marva Ellard and Cathy O'Conner, both familiar names in Oklahoma City’s adaptive reuse scene. The Journal Record has highlighted their track record and their focus on tools like tax-increment financing to make historic renovations work on the balance sheet.
What the plan would build
Under the current proposal, the historic Roosevelt structure would be converted into 96 apartments, while the surface parking lot facing Western Avenue would be redeveloped into another 79 apartments with ground-floor retail, The Oklahoman reports. Rough Riders LLC, led by Ellard and O'Conner, was selected for the project last year and already has early access to the building. Ellard told the paper the group expects to pursue tax-increment financing and historic tax credits and is considering whether to restore legacy features such as the school’s pool and auditorium.
Neighbors, past fights and a near-demolition
For Metro Park residents, Roosevelt has been a recurring battleground. Neighbors successfully opposed a 2019 sale that ultimately fell apart, then later organized against a district plan to demolish the building altogether. Reporting from Free Press Oklahoma City detailed how community pressure pushed the district to halt demolition and reopen the site to new proposals, a move that set the stage for the current selection and sale process.
Next steps and what to watch
For now, the work is mostly behind-the-scenes: hiring an architecture team, completing building surveys and locking in financing so construction can legally kick off before the April 2027 deadline. The Journal Record notes the project is expected to tap into city-backed financing tools already used on other downtown conversions, so upcoming decisions on TIF and historic credits will likely determine whether Roosevelt’s revival moves from a signed contract to actual scaffolding and hard hats.
