Eaton Rapids Vacant School to be Renovated with Repairs

The pavement in the empty parking lot in front of Northwestern Elementary is cracked and crumbling in spots.  The building's windows have been dark for six years, since the school closed.

Ben Graham and his wife Patty bought the 42,000 square foot building and the 15 acres it sits on last summer, four years after Eaton Rapids Public Schools first put the property up for sale.

Now the local couple, who live in the city and attended elementary school in the building, are working to repair and renovate the structure, where thousands of kids were educated for more than five decades.

According to the Lansing State Journal, the Grahams initially talked about creating apartments.  They now believe it could be better utilized if renovated into a unique event center with overnight rooms for guests.