Jackson Ward seniors will soon have a new option if they want to stay in the neighborhood, but can't live on their own anymore.

The historic building at 21 E. Leigh St. is being turned into an independent-living residential complex for senior citizens by the Hanson Company, LLC and Alexander and Alexander.

The city-owned property, which has been vacant and deteriorating for years, was sold in 2006 for $325,000.

Developers plan to invest approximately $4 million to develop what will be called B.T. Washington Plaza, named after one of the schools that previously occupied the property, according to a news release.

The development will consist of 20 one-bedroom apartments renting for $650 a month and eight two-bedroom apartments renting for $800 per month.

"Restoring old buildings into re-adaptive use is something that should continue to happen throughout Richmond," said Rachel Flynn, the city's director of community development.

"When buildings sit empty, we need to make a change and I hope we'll see more instances of redevelopment of historic property here in the future.”

The history of 21 E. Leigh St. traces to more than a century of public education use. The main building was one of the first three public schools built by the city.

It opened in 1872 as Leigh School. Over subsequent years, it became Armstrong High School (1909), Booker T. Washington Elementary School (1922) and then the Benjamin Graves Junior High School (1956).

Richmond Public Schools transferred the property to the city in the early 1970s, which leased it to the Richmond Opportunities Industrialization Center, Inc. until 2003 when it was vacated and fell into disrepair.