Chastain Commons
Chastain Commons is an adaptive reuse initiative focused on transforming the former Chastain Middle School campus in Jackson, Mississippi into an educational and neighborhood amenity serving as a hub for Broadmoor and surrounding communities.
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Chastain Commons is an adaptive reuse initiative focused on transforming the former Chastain Middle School campus in Jackson, Mississippi into an educational and neighborhood amenity serving as a hub for Broadmoor and surrounding communities. Located on a 21 acre site, the project reimagines a vacant public school property as a revitalized campus supporting education, recreation, community life, and neighborhood reinvestment. The redevelopment is being advanced by Redeemer Community Development with support from M|B|P “Make Big Plans” Companies, TREE Urban Design Studio, and Boggan & Vaughan Architects. The project explores how existing public infrastructure and underutilized institutional properties can be reinvested in through adaptive reuse, landscape transformation, and phased community oriented development.
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Year
2026 — Ongoing
Scale
21 Acres
Location
Jackson, Mississippi
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Redeemer Community Development
The Redeemer’s School
Redeemer Church
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Facilitation Team
Josh McManus, M|B|P Companies
Joel Steinhaus, M|B|P Companies
Elizabeth Fowler, M|B|P Companies
Architecture
Boggan & Vaughan Architects
Photography
Drew Dempsey Creative
Proposed Aerial Perspective
Existing Aerial Perspective (2026)
Adaptive Reuse + Campus Preservation
The Chastain Middle School campus was originally constructed in 1959 as part of Jackson’s postwar expansion of public education and served generations of students within the Broadmoor neighborhood of North Jackson. Located on a 21 acre site west of Interstate 55, the campus includes existing educational and community infrastructure such as classroom wings, athletic facilities, a gymnasium, a 900 seat auditorium, cafeteria and kitchen facilities, administrative offices, open space, and a separate library building containing approximately fifteen classrooms.
Following the school’s closure through the Jackson Public Schools Repurposing Initiative, Redeemer Community Development identified the property as a home for The Redeemer’s School and acquired the campus in 2025 for redevelopment. Rather than demolishing the former school campus, the design strategy prioritizes the preservation and reintegration of existing buildings, circulation systems, athletic facilities, and open space infrastructure. The project builds upon the site’s existing institutional framework while introducing updated educational environments, community spaces, and site improvements. This approach preserves community history, reduces material waste, and creates opportunities for phased redevelopment.
Proposed Arts Community Hub Entrance
Existing Conditions (2026)
Phased Implementation + Long Term Vision
The redevelopment is envisioned as a phased investment strategy capable of evolving over time through partnerships, fundraising, grant opportunities, and continued community support. In collaboration with M|B|P Make Big Plans, the TREE team helped develop the broader zoning and phasing framework for the 21 acre campus, organizing the site into multiple long term development zones intended to support education, community life, arts and culture, recreation, and neighborhood reinvestment.
The framework includes the adaptive reuse of the school facilities for The Redeemer’s School alongside future opportunities for an Arts Community Hub, expanded recreational and gathering environments, and a new mixed use commercial district envisioned as “Downtown Broadmoor.” These components are intended to create a more connected neighborhood center that supports everyday community needs and economic activity within the area.
The phased approach allows the campus to grow incrementally while aligning improvements with operational capacity, funding opportunities, and evolving community priorities. The project reflects a broader interest in how adaptive reuse, educational investment, landscape infrastructure, and mixed use redevelopment can work together to strengthen neighborhoods and reinvest in existing community assets throughout Jackson.
Proposed School Entrance
Existing Conditions, 2026
Proposed Downtown Broadmoor Plaza
Existing Conditions, 2026
Community Engagement + Strategy Studio
As a part of the redevelopment process, the project team established an ongoing engagement environment referred to as the “Strategy Studio.” The Studio functions as a flexible planning and engagement space where community members, project partners, educators, students, and stakeholders can gather to review ideas, participate in workshops, and contribute to the long term vision for the campus and surrounding neighborhood. The project team also organized larger public meetings within the former school gymnasium, intentionally reactivating one of the campus’s most recognizable community spaces as part of the redevelopment process.
The Studio has supported ongoing community engagement sessions focused on educational priorities, campus improvements, neighborhood needs, recreation opportunities, and future development strategies. Students expected to attend the future school have also participated in discussions and activities related to the transformation of the campus, helping connect the redevelopment process directly to future users. The space itself establishes a continuing framework for collaboration, allowing ideas, partnerships, and implementation strategies to evolve over time.
