Former Catholic school building on Staten Island will be razed to make room for early childhood facility
A century-old school building in the Staten Island borough of New York City is being readied for demolition so that construction can commence on a 283-seat early-childhood annex.
The Staten Island Advance reports that the former St. Mary’s School will be leveled “in the next week or so," according to the New York City School Construction Authority. Work will then begin on the annex, which is being created for nearby PS 13. The new building is scheduled to open in September 2027.
Details about the construction of the new school are limited, but the total cost of the rebuild is estimated at $69.88 million.
St. Mary’s was one of four Staten Island Catholic schools that closed in 2011 shortly after the Archdiocese of New York withdrew financial support.
The Construction Authority says the annex is expected to serve pre-K through second grade.
The site dates back to 1865; it was the second location for St. Mary’s School. The building also housed an orphanage and a boys’ home. They were cared for and taught by the Sisters of Mercy until the Sisters of Charity took over in 1868.
The worn wooden structure was replaced around 1910 by the existing fireproof brick building. Nuns staffed the parish school until 1986, when an all-lay faculty replaced them.
