The lights are finally set to come back on at Conroe’s long-vacant Sam Houston Elementary School, with construction expected to kick off this summer on its transformation into affordable housing. The adaptive reuse project, now branded Landmark 601, will convert the 1937 school building into 71 apartments for lower- and moderate-income households. Developers peg the renovation cost at about $28 million and estimate it will take roughly 14 to 16 months to finish. Plans call for preserving the building’s auditorium and reserving one apartment for an artist-in-residence program.
What Landmark 601 will include
The redevelopment is slated to deliver 71 units in all: 14 studios, 32 one-bedrooms, 17 two-bedrooms and eight three-bedrooms. The apartments are targeted to households earning roughly $22,000 to $70,000 a year. Because the property is historic, the developer expects to tap rehabilitation incentives to protect key architectural features while keeping rents lower. Those specifics, including the unit mix, affordability bands and the estimated cost and schedule, are detailed by Community Impact.
Funding, credits and timeline
Landmark 601 shows up on the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs 2025 list of recommended housing tax credit awards. The TDHCA entry describes the project as an acquisition and rehabilitation at 601 W. Lewis St. with a total of 71 units. That recommendation sits alongside the historic rehabilitation incentives that developers say they will use to help offset renovation costs. Building permits still need to be issued before crews can get to work, and officials note that construction hinges on those approvals. The award list is posted by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.
Local reaction and next steps
Overland Property Group bought the former school site from the city in January 2025 and still must secure building permits before work can begin, according to the Houston Chronicle. Local business and civic leaders say the project checks two big boxes at once, adding much-needed housing while preserving a downtown landmark that has loomed over the neighborhood for decades. “Landmark 601 is a strong project needed to support Conroe’s growing population,” Scott Harper, president of the Conroe/Lake Conroe Chamber of Commerce, told Community Impact. City and developer filings reviewed for the project indicate the team has been lining up financing and approvals in anticipation of a summer construction start.
