You can say goodbye to the old Gate of Heaven School building before it’s gone this weekend! Back in January, it was announced the Archdiocese of Boston would be knocking down the building and turning it into a parking lot. 40 parking spaces will be available for rent. The cash from the rentals will be used to help with the upkeep of the Gate of Heaven Church.
In March, the City of Boston Landmark Commission voted for a 90 day delay of demolition so everyone involved could take a second look and potential save the building. The Archdiocese of Boston has decided to move forward with the parking lot plan. The school will officially be torn down. If you’d like to get one last look at the school, you can stop by on Sunday, October 21st from 9am-12pm. The building will be open for one last visit. Refreshments will be served. Then bring on the wrecking ball!
History of how we got here:
Since 2014, The Gate of Heaven School building has been in and out of the news for its development proposals. Initially, Oranmore Enterprises proposed converting the historic school building into into 31 condos with 40 parking spots. (The proposal was then revised to 26 condos.) The neighborhood erupted in opposition to the condos- and a counter campaign to keep the building a school called Kids Before Condos formed. The mission of Kids Before Condos was to urge the Archdiocese to reopen the property as a charter school for neighborhood students. But some direct abutters did not love this idea and preferred condos over a charter school.
Eventually, after so much controversy, the developer pulled the proposed plan and the Archdiocese took the property off of the market. When it was announced that the school would in fact be demolished and turned into a parking lot, the neighborhood seemed disappointed.
Father Casey from the Gate of Heaven Parish told the Boston Globe they had explored alternatives such as senior housing, but decided against it. “Elderly housing is something we looked at seriously, but it brought financial risk in years to come,” Casey said.
So a parking lot it is!
What do you think?
Do you know how we can rent a parking spot once it’s done?
Exactly what the neigbors deserve
Hate to see the school go, however it’s best for the church/community to build a parking lot .
Sad to see Gatey School being torn down! Both my parents are graduates and actually met at the carnival they used to hold in the school yard back in the ’60’s. My siblings and I have many great memories as students in the’ 80s.- Sr . Prudence, Ms. Krim… Sorry they couldn’t find a better use for the building..
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
What an egg on the face of the “Kids before Condos” movement. Now, instead of much needed housing for the PEOPLE, we get a surface lot for VEHICLES…..NICE JOB! Oh, and you delayed this inevitability by years due to pure selfishness. WELL DONE!
This is heartbreaking and makes me want to move away. First they tore down the beautiful convent and now this – two historic buildings with impressive architecture. It’s a shame that neither of them could be saved. The archdiocese is putting their financial interests first. They could at least set aside part of the space for a public park that the comunity could enjoy.
Housing market is slowing down….now is the time. Just some food for thought
(Stupidity x Ignorance) + (Greed x Incompetence) =’s A Parking Lot (Economics and Aesthetics be damned!!)
-This was NEVER going to be a school again. NEVER! The building is too old, needs too much investment, and the Archdiocese did NOT want a school to compete with theirs (SBCA and BCH). The “kids” were never an option.
-“Dumb” and “Dumber” (a/k/a Lally and Touchie) the “leaders” of the phony “GOH Neighborhood Association”, who are not even abutters BTW, drove this bus into the ground with their stubborn stupidity grounded in resentment against “outsiders”.
-The Parish and Archdiocese could not have handled this more poorly. After all the abuse they took from D&D&Co, and many parishioners, abutters and government officials, stuck their necks out to support the project, they let greed and lack of business judgement blind them to the financial realities. The plan was APPROVED by the City but the Parish wanted more money and would make new demands (pay our taxes!!) every time the purchase option would expire. The developers got sick of being blackmailed. Pay up or else!! The Parish dared them to walk away…and they did, tired of throwing good money after bad even though they would have easily (eventually) won the baseless lawsuit.
-The parking lot is a financial loser (certainly compared with a sale) as it means even more debt for the Parish and a lousy return to boot. Do the math. Financially this is suicidal compared to a check for $6mm. The entire GOH complex will be sold and torn down for housing within 20 years, mark my words.
-I could go on as there’s a lot more but suffice it to say, there are very few winners here but there will be more market-priced off street parking and more room for cars for church events. Was it worth all that?? D’uh!! The whole thing is sickening.
Competence and compromise are not strengths of the OFS folk, that is for sure. Just another clear cut example.
Now let’s move on to St. Vincent’s church…..are we going to continue to just let it rot away? Maybe it’s time to start praying for direction instead of forgiveness.