Chicago Nonprofit to Open Charter School in Former Messer HQ

EXCLUSIVE:Chicago nonprofit to open charter school in former MesserHQ Jul 10, 2019, 1:09pm EDT Updated: Jul 10, 2019, 1:43pm EDT

A Chicago-based nonprofit is transforming the former Messer headquarters building in Bond Hill into a charter elementary school.

ReGeneration Schools, which operates six K-8 schools on three campuses in Chicago, will open an elementary school in the former Messer headquarters at 5158 Fishwick Drive.

The K-4 charter school will welcome its first classes this fall with 180 kindergarten

MITCHELL PARTON The front door of the former Messer headquarters will become the visitor's entrance for the elementary school.

and first-grade students and 15 teachers. At capacity, it will hold 434 students in grades K-4.

The nonprofit organization began construction on the 26,000-squarefoot building in April. It has completely gutted the interior to make way for nine general education classrooms; dedicated rooms for art, music and special education; offices and collaboration spaces for teachers and staff; a cafeteria; and a flex space for physical education as well as other activities.

Cincinnati-based Elevar Design Group is the architect. Fishers, Ind.-based Meyer Najem Construction LLC. is the general contractor.

To accommodate future classes of students, ReGeneration is also planning to build an 8,000-square-foot expansion to the property with a half-court gym, cafeteria performance stages and additional classrooms by the end of summer 2022.

Stacey Shells has served as CEO of Regeneration Schools since 2012. She previously was a principal for Uncommon Schools in Rochester, N.Y. Andres Tolentino, chief operating officer for ReGeneration Schools in the Ohio region, previously served as director of operations at Regeneration's Chicago International Charter School campus in Avalon/South Shore and was an art teacher and special projects coordinator for Uncommon Schools.

Bianca Jones, former manager of school supports for Rocketship Public Schools in Nashville, is principal of the Bond Hill school.

ReGeneration has managed six K-8 schools in Chicago since 2012. Shells told me the nonprofit organization's values center around college prep, character and social justice.

"We believe that every single child deserves the opportunity not only to go to college, but to graduate, and because we grew up with educators, we know that starts day one."

Together, Shells and Tolentino opened a middle school and elementary school in the Rochester area for Uncommon Schools. While ReGeneration is based in Chicago, both of the school's founders are Cincinnati natives and the nonprofit has a local board of directors.

Shells and Tolentino grew up on the same street in Kennedy Heights. Shells said that after opening two schools in Rochester and operating six schools in Chicago, the goal was always to come back home.

"To come back home, it was just a natural progression," Shells said.

In January 2015, Messer announced it was searching for a new headquarters, having outgrown the Bond Hill space. In September 2017, the construction company moved into its West End site just outside the Central Business District.

ReGeneration Schools purchased the building on April 12 for $1,550,000, according to Cushman & Wakefield.

Digger Daley, director of Cushman & Wakefield, represented Messer in the sale.

Tori Stefanou, senior director of Cushman & Wakefield, represented ReGeneration Schools.

Messer was involved throughout the process and attended zoning hearings to "present a united front," Daley told me. The company granted ReGeneration with a six-month purchase option while ReGeneration went through its due diligence process to obtain a use variance for the school site from the city, according to Tolentino. "(ReGeneration) had local advocates, and everyone bought in," Daley said.

"They got the support locally."

Mitchell Parton Intern Cincinnati Business Courier