A former elementary school in Trafalgar has a new owner but similar plans to turn the building into a business hub by leasing space inside.
A Martinsville developer purchased the former Indian Creek Elementary School in April from Eric Crawford, a previous developer who had bought the property last year from the Hensley Township trustee.
Brian MacDonald, an entrepreneur who teaches economics at Martinsville High School and also works on fixing and re-selling properties, said the school caught his attention while he was looking at other properties in the area.
Like Crawford, MacDonald said he envisions the property being used as office space for businesses, who would be able to lease single or multiple classrooms. His goal is to attract businesses, especially start-ups, by offering rent at prices much lower than what it would cost to lease space in Greenwood or Franklin, he said.
So far, MacDonald has been working to find a larger initial tenant, a business that would use up multiple classrooms to get the site kicked off, but his plan is to move ahead and begin marketing the building to single-classroom tenants this fall.
MacDonald had previously lived in Trafalgar for a couple of years. His son attended first grade at the elementary school.
MacDonald declined to say how much he paid for the property. Last year, Crawford purchased the school from the Hensley Township trustee for $50,000. Under state law, the school wasn’t allowed to sell the property and instead was required to give it to the township trustee.
Classes ended at the former elementary school in 2016, after Nineveh-Hensley-Jackson schools added a $10 million wing to the intermediate school where the elementary school is now housed.
