One of Akron’s biggest empty school buildings may soon be buzzing again, this time with bakers, photographers and small-business hustlers instead of homeroom bells.
Developers Kyle Craven and Carmen Scaccio have a contract to buy the nearly 250,000-square-foot Central-Hower building from the University of Akron for $2.25 million and convert it into H+ART, a mixed-use hub for small businesses, creators and makers. Classrooms would be reused for studios and micro-retail, the building’s large historic auditorium would reopen, and new gym and office space would round out the mix. The former STEM High School has been largely vacant since 2024, and the partners say they hope tenants can be settled in by 2027, although the sale still needs state approval.
What H+ART will include
Craven’s team is sketching out 34 studios, 14 office suites, two gymnasiums and an auditorium that could host performances and community programming. Old classrooms are slated to become maker and micro-retail spaces geared to bakers, photographers, designers and other small enterprises, with a combination of short- and long-term leases.
As reported by News 5 Cleveland, the developers say they took cues from Philadelphia’s Bok building, hoping that stacking different kinds of creators under one roof will naturally spark collaboration.
Sale, price and timeline
The group signed a purchase contract in mid-June and agreed to pay $2.25 million, which the developers say matches the property’s appraisal. The deal requires approval from the state Controlling Board, a step that Craven told the Akron Beacon Journal he expects by the end of July, and the partners have entered a six-month due diligence window.
Craven says prospective tenants are already expressing interest while the team locks in funding and detailed renovation plans.
Keeping the school's bones
The developers say they want to keep Central-Hower looking like a school, not a soulless office block. Plans call for preserving lockers, restoring terrazzo floors and keeping the wide corridors instead of gutting the interior.
The auditorium, carried over from an earlier 1920s structure, seats about 1,100. Local theater leaders told Signal Akron they would welcome a renovated performance venue of that size. Craven has acknowledged the building will need a new HVAC system, an updated roof and modern fire and sprinkler systems before most tenants can move in.
Downtown context and what's next
The Central-Hower site sits just a few blocks from Quaker Square, where some of the same developers are planning a separate overhaul that could add a hotel, apartments and restaurants. As News 5 Cleveland reported, the group sees the building’s proximity to Akron’s growing polymer industry cluster as a potential draw for makers and light lab users.
“People always crave a place for the community,” Chris Hardesty of the Downtown Akron Development Corp. told Signal Akron, adding that projects like H+ART can help restore weekday foot traffic if they deliver regular programming.
What comes next
Renovation cost estimates are still a moving target, but the developers told the Akron Beacon Journal they expect to spend additional millions to modernize building systems and interiors.
Craven told the Akron Beacon Journal he could see the first tenants beginning to move in as early as January, with broader occupancy phased in through 2027 as approvals come through and renovations wrap up.
