A five-story Victorian Gothic school building that once faced the wrecking ball is now home to 46 seniors in Cleveland's Clark-Fulton neighborhood. The Arch at Saint Michael, a conversion of the former Central Catholic High School campus and its neighboring convent into affordable one-bedroom apartments for residents age 62 and older, has reached full occupancy, with every unit now leased.
The project transformed the former Central Catholic High School campus into 46 one-bedroom apartments, according to WKYC. The complex sits at 3146 Scranton Road, with 34 units inside the main three-story former school building and 12 more in the adjacent former convent at 2202 Prame Avenue, according to City of Cleveland records. Construction began in 2020, per WKYC's reporting, and crews preserved many of the building's original fixtures and historic features as they converted former classrooms in the early-1900s structure into living spaces.
A Landmark Nearly Lost
Built in 1906, the original St. Michael School was designed in the Victorian Gothic style by French-born architect Emile Uhlrich, who created four landmark religious structures across Cleveland's urban core, according to the city's records citing historical research. The building fell into foreclosure in the late 2010s and was threatened with demolition before an investor group led by SoTre Properties acquired the site in 2019 and brought in CHN Housing Partners to lead its redevelopment, per that same historical account. Along the way, the project encountered a roof collapse that let water into the building, WKYC reports, one of several setbacks that complicated the years-long rescue.
Those setbacks piled up. The project's final cost ran about $10 million above initial expectations, per WKYC, with total project costs eventually reaching $23,203,128, according to city records, which break down $17,610,329 in hard construction costs financed through $3.2 million from the City of Cleveland, $5.1 million in government loans, and $14.8 million in equity investments. Cleveland City Council stepped in with $2.9 million in local revenue recovery funds to bridge the financing gap caused by construction cost inflation, an intervention that Ward 14 Councilwoman Jasmin Santana championed to keep the project from stalling.
Federal Milestone, Local Payoff
The project's groundbreaking coincided with the 50th anniversary of the federal Community Development Block Grant program in August 2024, which provided foundational federal grant support alongside HUD Section 202 capital advances. For residents, the financial complexity behind the walls translates into simple math: tenants pay about 30% of their income toward rent, and residents in the building earn no more than 50% of the area's median income. In the 12 convent apartments specifically, three units are set aside for seniors earning up to 30% of Area Median Income and nine for those earning up to 50% AMI, per leasing terms shared by CHN Housing Partners.
Arquelio Figueroa is one of the residents who found a home there. He moved into an apartment in the refurbished convent after the owner of his former condo put it up for sale, leaving him searching for a new place to live. He found the one-bedroom home he had been looking for, and he says he loves living at the apartment.
Demand Outpaces Supply
Brian Grambort said giving the historic building new life as housing was fulfilling, according to WKYC's report. But the celebration is tempered by the sheer scale of unmet need. Jennifer Chandler of CHN Housing Partners said the organization cannot build affordable housing fast enough because demand keeps increasing, and that when property waitlists open, the group receives 1,000 names within days.
Rents at the property are set to meet residents' individual needs, Chandler said, and CHN Housing Partners has confirmed all 46 apartments are now occupied. The organization has reported that the need for affordable housing continues to grow, a claim borne out by statewide numbers. Ohio faces a deficit of 265,000 affordable rental units for its 422,000 extremely low-income renters, with 45% of all Ohio renters paying more than 30% of their income on housing, according to the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio's 2026 Gap Report.
Why Location Matters
The building's amenities, including an on-site wellness center, a social service coordinator office, a fitness room, a media room, and community spaces, sit within walking distance of MetroHealth System medical facilities, according to city records and CHN Housing Partners. That proximity matters for a population that is only growing: regional demographic data from the United Way of Greater Cleveland indicates Cuyahoga County's overall senior population is projected to peak around 2030, while the population aged 85 and older continues to expand.
CHN Housing Partners has been busy elsewhere in the same corner of the city. The organization is also planning 65 affordable homes nearby in Clark-Fulton and the Stockyards, and it received a boost this year when Fifth Third committed $5 million to Cleveland's broader affordable housing push. Those efforts arrive as other local housing programs face strain, including federal rent aid delays that have put dozens of Cleveland households at risk of eviction and a lapse in regional lead removal funding that has drawn scrutiny in recent weeks.
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