The Daily Dig
Akron Public Schools breaks ground March 19 at 11 AM on the $76 million Pfeiffer/Miller South project at the former Kenmore High School campus, 2140 13th Street S.W. The development places Pfeiffer Elementary (PreK-5) and Miller South Middle School (grades 4-8) side by side in a single shared complex, bounded by Battles Avenue, 16th Street, Wyoming Avenue, and 13th Street.
Students from both schools enter through a shared main entrance off 13th Street, then split internally, Miller South heading north, Pfeiffer heading south. Common areas include the cafeteria, auditorium/theater, and gym, available to both schools and the surrounding community.
Miller South's wing includes music practice rooms, dance and vocal performance space, and a theater with backstage crossover, piano storage, and catwalk and lighting access. Pfeiffer's side includes art and music rooms, a media center, extended learning areas, and playgrounds just outside the kindergarten classrooms.
The project started at a $63 million budget before landing at the current $76 million estimate, with square footage and program features trimmed as design progressed. Demolition began spring 2025, and the new campus is targeting an August 2028 opening. After that, the existing Pfeiffer and Miller South buildings will be demolished. Renderings remain conceptual and subject to change.
Snapshot:
Owner / Developer: Akron Public Schools
General Contractor: CT Taylor
Design Team: Prime AE
Sector: K-12 Education
Value: $76 million estimated total; original budget $63 million
Location: Former Kenmore High School campus, 2140 13th Street S.W., Akron, Ohio
Scope: Shared complex housing Pfeiffer Elementary (PreK-5) and Miller South Middle School (grades 4-8) with separate internal zones and shared cafeteria, auditorium/theater, and gym
Scope: Miller South includes music practice rooms, dance and vocal performance areas, theater backstage crossover, piano storage on stage, and catwalk and lighting control access
Scope: Pfeiffer includes art and music rooms, media center, extended learning areas, and playgrounds outside kindergarten classrooms
Funding: Certificates of participation, general fund, and remaining funds from prior APS, City of Akron, and state building programs
Timeline / Status: Original approval July 10, 2023; Prime AE approved July 22, 2024; demolition began spring 2025; groundbreaking March 19, 2026; targeted opening August 2028
TheJobWalk Thoughts
This is a public K-12 job with more specialty scope than it appears on the surface. The fine arts program drives that. Music rooms, backstage theater infrastructure, and dedicated performance space mean AV, acoustics, and MEP need to be coordinated before CDs are finalized, not after.
Subs pricing cold off an ITB without having tracked the design process will feel it. The shared cafeteria and gym serving both a school schedule and community events also get specified harder on finishes and systems than a single-use space would. Budget-wise, the VE cycle is done, the project already absorbed $13 million in scope cuts getting to $76 million, so the drawings coming out now are unlikely to shift again.
For subs tracking public education work in northeast Ohio, this is a multi-year job with defined sequencing and layered interior trades, and the owner wants clean execution from here out.
Photo Credit: Akron Public Schools // Pfeiffer and Miller South Front Entrance
Photo Credit: Akron Public Schools // Pfeiffer and Miller South Entrance from Battles
Photo Credit: Akron Public Schools // Pfeiffer and Miller South Battles and 16th
