Mercyhurst University sells its satellite campus in North East, Pa.

Jan. 26, 2022

The 70-acre property was sold for more than $4 million and is slated to become home to a sports training facility.

Mercyhurst University has sold its satellite campus in North East, Pa., to a property investment company.

Blue Ocean Investments has purchased the 70-acre property for more than $4 million, reports GoErie.Com News.

The campus had been home to St. Mary's Seminary before it closed in 1980s and became Mercyhurst's North East campus.

Records submitted by the borough of North East to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development state that Blue Ocean intends to use the campus to expand S.P.I.R.E. Institute, a sports training facility that operates sports programs for high school, college and graduate students in Geneva, Ohio.

Officials at Mercyhurst, based in Erie, Pa., announced in August 2019 that they were moving programs from the North East campus to Erie by summer 2021

In May 2020, Mercyhurst opted to move the consolidation up by one year. It moved all associate degree programs to its main campus in Erie that fall and disbanded its sports teams. Only Mercyhurst’s nursing, biology, allied health, and police academy programs remained in North East for the 2020-21 academic year. The move was spurred by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Construction of the new S.P.I.R.E. campus could begin in June and be completed by December 2023.