Iowa Awards $18 Million for Historic Building Revival

Former Burlington middle school to become 45 affordable senior apartments through state preservation tax credits.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Commercial

Iowa Awards $18 Million for Historic Building Revival

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Should local governments use public tax credits to convert vacant old buildings into housing?

The Iowa Economic Development Authority awarded more than $18 million in Iowa Historic Preservation Tax Credits for historic building revitalization projects. The former Apollo Middle School in Burlington will be rehabilitated into 45 affordable one and two bedroom apartments for residents 55 and older.

Why it matters

The funding supports reuse of vacant historic buildings across Iowa, including projects in Des Moines, Dubuque, Iowa City, Waterloo and Ottumwa. For Iowa residents, it turns a long-neglected landmark into housing for older adults.

The Iowa Historic Preservation Tax Credit program provided over $18 million statewide for historic rehabilitation. The Burlington project will convert a three-story building into 45 units, but the extraction does not give per-project award amounts or a completion date.

The players

Iowa Economic Development Authority

The state agency that administers the Iowa Historic Preservation Tax Credit program and announced the statewide award of over $18 million.

Preservation Iowa

A statewide historic preservation nonprofit that maintains the Most Endangered Buildings list on which Apollo School was placed in 2017.

City of Burlington

The Iowa city that acquired the former Apollo Middle School in 2015 and has pursued its revitalization for decades.

The details

The former Apollo Middle School, a vacant three-story building overlooking downtown Burlington from the Saunderson Heights neighborhood, will be converted into affordable one and two bedroom apartments for residents 55 and older. The rehabilitation is funded through the Iowa Historic Preservation Tax Credit program, which the Iowa Economic Development Authority announced.

1998: The city's comprehensive plan first acknowledged efforts to revitalize the school.
2015: The City of Burlington acquired the school after years of neglect and unpaid back taxes.
2017: Apollo School was listed on Preservation Iowa's Most Endangered Buildings list.
November 3, 2026: The Iowa Economic Development Authority announced the over $18 million in tax credits.

Housing Reuse Pattern

The Iowa Historic Preservation Tax Credit program is being used to convert aging public school buildings into housing, as this Burlington project does with Apollo Middle School. The same funding round also supported similar rehabilitations in Des Moines, Dubuque, Iowa City, Waterloo and Ottumwa.

Residents aged 55 and older in Burlington may gain access to 45 affordable one and two bedroom apartments once the former Apollo Middle School is rehabilitated. The project also signals that other Iowa communities with vacant historic buildings may pursue similar state-supported conversions.

The takeaway

State historic tax credits can turn vacant public buildings into needed housing, preserving local landmarks while adding affordable units for older residents.