Coventry PEACE Campus Transferred To CHUH Libraries

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — The Coventry Peace Campus is officially the property of Heights Libraries. The Cleveland Heights-University Heights Schools transferred the deed to the property to the library system on March 29.

“We’re sad to let the property go, but the schools need to focus on educating our children. We are thrilled that the library has taken this on. It will be great for the community,” said CH-UH Board of Education President Jim Posch.

The library system assumed control of the property on April 1. Tenants at the space will be finalizing their lease agreements with the libraries over the next several weeks, according to a press release from the school district. Tenants will pay $3 per square foot. There will also be a reserve fund created to reimburse the CHUH Libraries for any expenses connected to building upkeep.

A myriad of local civic groups call the Coventry PEACE building home, including Ensemble Theater, Future Heights, Reaching Heights, Artful, Family Connections, and Lake Erie Ink. Tenants were moved to a month-to-month lease structure starting in July 2017. The library system has said it intends to keep all of the current tenants in the building.

The library paid $1 for the six-acre property, which includes the former Coventry Elementary School, a parking lot, green space and parking lot. The property's original deed intended for it to be used as a public, educational space. That incentivized the library system's purchase of the site.

“We are very happy to take on the project so the property can continue to be used for the public good,” said Heights Libraries Director Nancy Levin.

The school district announced in May 2017 that it wanted to sell the Coventry PEACE campus. The building was in need of more than $1 million in repairs, including a new roof, the district said at the time. The city of Cleveland Heights also stepped in to help the district sell the property.

"It's obvious that the Coventry site and the building are in need of significant repairs in order for it to continue operating," said CH-UH Superintendent Talisa Dixon in a statement at the time. "We do not want to invest more money into a site that does not directly impact our students."

In February 2018, the library announced it intended to purchase the property.

Photo from Google Earth