The Dunlap Project
The Dunlap is an innovative approach to affordable housing and economic development, incorporating art and music to enrich Paducah’s creative culture and economy. It creates a community for living, learning, and working inside the historic schoolhouse.
The Dunlap, a $14.6 million development project by Louisville-based Marian Group, will be a community of artists, individuals, and families housed in the historic Walter C. Jetton Middle School located at 401 Walter Jetton Boulevard. This project is named after one of Paducah’s most important daughters, Mollie E. Dunlap. The project includes rehabilitating housing units, restoring the concert hall for the Paducah Symphony Orchestra, and creating a conservatory for music training and education. Construction is expected to take approximately 18 months. A groundbreaking ceremony was held August 24, 2021 with community partners.
The Dunlap preserves 21 residential units and adds 21 new units of affordable housing to fit the housing needs and enrich the artistic culture of the community. The Dunlap will also offer a Community Service Facility (CSF) operated by the Paducah Symphony Orchestra in the attached symphony hall and part of the original library. Artists, aspiring artists, and innovators will use the spaces and affordable services to hone their artistic skills, learn how to expand or start a creative-based business, and enjoy the arts. In Spring 2023, The Dunlap will also become home to the Paducah Symphony Orchestra which will occupy approximately 17,000 square feet of space in the symphony hall and the basement. From this space, they will gain much needed administrative offices and room to expand their music academy, bringing music education to a wider audience of participants. This new space will allow PSO to continue their mission of serving the community by facilitating affordable educational programs and services, as well as presenting concerts in the restored hall where they first began their musical life.
Pre-Leasing - Affordable Housing Community
This historic rehabilitation project is innovative in its approach, combining community arts and music resources with forty-two (42) affordable, residential units. The Dunlap offers 1- and 2-bedroom units, including several accessible units. Community spaces include a laundry, community room, arts studio and gallery, and on-site leasing office. Preference will be given to veterans and seniors age 62+; however, family units will also be available. For more information or to apply for a home at The Dunlap, visit Dunlap Resident Services and complete the online form or call 270-331-9356 to speak with a Leasing Specialist. Emails can be sent to Dunlapwerentky.com.
The Community Partners
City of Paducah – In April 2021, the Paducah Board of Commissioners authorized up to $100,000 in grant funds to Marian Group to assist with the stabilization of the historic schoolhouse’s roof.
Paducah Symphony Orchestra - To bring The Dunlap to life, Marian teamed with Paducah Symphony Orchestra (PSO), a nonprofit with a mission to bring the rewards of great music to a growing and diverse regional audience. The PSO began their mission 40 years ago playing in the symphony hall located in The Dunlap. PSO will occupy the approximately 17,000 square feet of space in the symphony hall and the basement. They will gain administrative space and continue to serve the community by holding affordable concerts in the soon-to-be restored hall and facilitating affordable educational programs and services including youth and children’s choruses, summer music camps, and music lessons.
The Building - Walter C. Jetton Middle School
Walter C. Jetton Middle School (pictured) is a large, two-story building with dark red textured brick, beautifully trimmed with carved sandstone. From the time of its construction in 1920, until 1980, it served as a middle and high school. The facility then began hosting community activities and cultural events. Over the years, the school has been occupied by the Paducah Symphony, the Paducah Parks Department, and the Paducah Board of Education.
The front section of the school most recently served as the Jetton Schoolhouse Apartments. Unfortunately, the Symphony Hall, where the Paducah Symphony started decades ago, the gym, and the library have been vacant for over 20 years. When the apartment section was rehabbed in 1999, the other sections were boarded up and have been slowly deteriorating due to roof leaks and exposure to the elements.
The Namesake - Mollie E. Dunlap
Mollie E. Dunlap was a librarian, bibliographer, and educator, whose research illuminated the experience of African Americans in higher education. Her work as a founding member of the first African American library association, as well as within the American Library Association, championed the civil rights of black librarians in the United States. Mollie Dunlap blazed a significant and important trail, and her achievements in the field of education pair well with the role of the school building itself.
The Developer – The Marian Group
The Marian Group’s core principle is “benefiting people, neighborhoods, and community.” Marian has a strong resume of forming successful community partnerships to develop meaningful, transformational, and history preserving projects.
