Buddy LaRosa is turning a long-quiet Elmwood Place elementary school into a $5 million, 52,000-square-foot youth development campus that organizers say should be buzzing with kids and programs by 2027. The idea is straightforward but ambitious: bring several youth-focused nonprofits under one roof and convert old classrooms into program, training and office space. A ceremonial groundbreaking is scheduled for July 29, 2026.
The project will be known as the Buddy LaRosa Center for Youth and will reuse the former school building rather than tearing it down. The overhaul is expected to cost about $5 million and cover roughly 52,000 square feet, according to the Cincinnati Business Courier, which has published renderings and a project timeline as organizers lock in partners and funding.
Nonprofits And Programs
Local leaders say the center is designed as a shared home base for multiple youth-oriented nonprofits, with flexible space that can shift between classrooms, gyms and training rooms depending on the day.
WLWT reported that Cincinnati Golden Gloves for Youth, the boxing program founded by LaRosa, has discussed moving its operations to the Elmwood Place campus. Public radio outlet WVXU has also chronicled the club's long search for a permanent home, highlighting how a dedicated facility could stabilize and expand its work with local kids.
About The Site
The future youth campus sits at 400 Maple Street in Elmwood Place and has long been listed in school records as Elmwood Place Elementary, according to ZIPDataMaps. The building is inside the St. Bernard-Elmwood Place school district footprint, positioning the center to serve neighborhoods just north of downtown Cincinnati.
Timeline And What's Next
Organizers have circled July 29, 2026, for a ceremonial groundbreaking, and the Buddy LaRosa Center for Youth is slated to open in 2027, as reported by the Cincinnati Business Courier. Officials say more details about which nonprofits will move in, and what specific programs will run on site, will be released after the July event.
Design And Local Backing
Architectural renderings for the conversion are credited to local firm City Studios Architecture, which features adaptive-reuse and community projects in its portfolio, according to City Studios Architecture. The plans show the former school reimagined as a modern, multiuse hub while keeping much of its neighborhood-school character intact.
LaRosa, best known as a restaurateur and as a longtime backer of youth sports, has been a prominent supporter of youth initiatives across the region, according to the Cincinnati Regional Chamber. His involvement has helped draw attention and philanthropic interest to the Elmwood Place project.
If the timeline holds, Elmwood Place could soon gain a year-round hub for after-school activities, job training and youth services at a moment when cities are rethinking how to reuse aging school buildings. Community leaders and nonprofit directors say the campus is intended to boost program capacity for the neighborhoods that feed into Cincinnati's downtown and northside communities, turning a shuttered school into a new kind of neighborhood anchor.
