$56 Million Binghamton School Makeover Job Underway

Construction crews are busy at the Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School on Binghamton's North Side.

A $56 million renovation project began after classes ended late last month.

A sign at the Roosevelt school construction site features renderings of what the building will look like when the project is complete. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

The school, which cost $2.5 million to construct, opened its doors in May 1971. It replaced the original Roosevelt Elementary next door.

The school district demolished 26 homes in 1969 to clear the site for the new school.

Asbestos warning signs were posted outside the Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School on Ogden Street on July 7, 2026. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

Financing for the current renovation project proved to be a big challenge. It required action by the state legislature to permit the city school district to obtain more capital project funding.

Roosevelt staff and students will be temporarily relocated to other Binghamton schools starting in September.

Workers on the east side of the Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School complex on July 7, 2026. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

According to the city school district, Roosevelt's current enrollment is 340 students.

The renovation work is expected to be completed in about 18 months.

WNBF NEWS VIDEO: A look at the Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School construction site on July 7, 2026.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com.