The community-driven design for School 77 shows that ?those closest to the problem are also closest to the solution? Schools can be the nexus of a neighborhood, a community space and reference point for kids and parents alike. In Buffalo, New York, a new adaptive reuse project that opens today aims to turn an unused elementary school into something even more central to the neighborhood and its future.
The transformation of School 77 into what local leaders have called an ?energy democracy? building?complete with community space for seniors and children, offices for nonprofits, as well as low-income housing and a massive community solar project?demonstrates how classrooms can be given a second life, and new mission.
?We operate from the theory of change,? says Rahwa Ghirmatzion, a former Eritrean refugee and executive director of PUSH Buffalo, the group that led the charge to renovate the school. ?This was community led, driven, and controlled because we believe those closest to the problem are also closest to the solution.?
PUSH Buffalo
School 77 on Buffalo, New York?s west side, was retrofitted and redeveloped with a combination of investments, including historic tax credits, the Better Buffalo Fund, and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.

The drive to turn an 80,000-square-foot-plus public school on the city?s west side began in the winter of 2014. Community groups such as PUSH Buffalo (People United for Sustainable Housing) saw potential ...