2024-05-01T01:42:49-04:00 https://archinect.com/news/article/133584551/abandoned-schools-new-development-opportunities Julia Ingalls 2015-08-05T19:02:00-04:00 >2018-01-30T06:16:04-05:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/yq/yqvo414rg0jhwkat.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><p>Many school buildings that used to house children now just primarily house debris thanks to a precipitous drop in public school enrollment over several decades. One independent website puts the <a href="http://abandonedonline.net/locations/schools/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">figure</a> at over 1,000 abandoned schools in states stretching from West Virginia to Indiana.&nbsp;</p><p><img title="" alt="" src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/514x/nx/nxohhtes9khe3jgf.jpg"></p><p>Some advocate selling the empty buildings to charter schools, while others see the buildings as potential spaces for artists and inventive start-ups. According to <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/07/28/426735945/the-struggle-to-breathe-life-back-into-empty-schools" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">NPR</a>, "A few deals are in the works to renovate old schools into apartments, offices and artist spaces."&nbsp;In Japan, so-called "<a href="http://readingeagle.com/ap/article/camping-in-former-schools-a-nostalgic-treat-in-japan" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">haiko camps</a>" allow adults to camp overnight in refurbished former schools to both satisfy nostalgia and keep the buildings from becoming the eyesores and <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-dead-woman-found-st-0708-20150708-story.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">crime scenes</a> they've become in the United States.</p><p><img title="" alt="" src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/514x/8c/8cxyfiu1gk57xnqj.jpg"></p>