St. Athanasius school closed in June 2010 because of declining enrollment, but the building in West View didn't shut its doors.
Just three months after classes ended for good at the school, the building became the St. Athanasius Community and Education Center.
“There was a lot of emotion in the parish about the school. But there was a real determination to keep the building in use and the idea of a community center surfaced,” said Patrice Mikec, a member of the parish and coordinator of the community center, whose offerings range from basket weaving to Zumba.
Dozens of school buildings stand empty across the region — victims of age, declining enrollment or population shifts. Other schools bought some. Others were converted into apartments, but many remain empty for decades, despite efforts to sell them or put them to some kind of constructive use.
“Some are in vibrant communities. Some are in neighborhoods with problems. Some are four stories tall, others just one. Some have parking, and there's no parking at others. Each of these schools really has its set of circumstances,” said John Watson, a managing partner at Fourth River Development LLC.
Pittsburgh Public Schools hired the development company to help create a plan to sell its 21 vacant buildings that cost the district about $900,000 per year to maintain.
The company is starting a 90-day evaluation of all school properties.
“I am always optimistic that people will find a use for these buildings,” said Pete Camarda, the district's chief financial officer.
Fifth Avenue High School in Uptown, whose graduates include former Mayor Sophie Masloff and former Allegheny County Coroner Cyril H. Wecht, is being converted into loft condominiums. The 1894 Gothic building is on the National Register of Historic Places. So is the Schenley High School building in Oakland, built in 1916 as the nation's first million-dollar high school, which closed in 2008.
The Penn Hills School District has sold two elementary schools; one to Redeemer Lutheran School, another to Imagine Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship, which had 250 students last year and expects 350 this school year. It is looking for additional space.
“We were fortunate that we got into this space. It is nice to breathe new life into a building that had been closed for several years. I also think our neighbors are happy the building is being used again,” said Kristen Priganc, the school's principal.
Daniel Castagna, superintendent of West Mifflin Area schools, hopes for similar luck with the sale of the New England Elementary School, which closed in June. That building is worth between $1.1 million and $1.4 million, he said.
“It's on Route 885, next to the Century III Mall, and we hope the location will help,” he said.
Too much school space reflects this region's aging population.
“You hate to lose schools, but we just do not have as many school children in this area. That's true for both public and Catholic schools,” said Jerry Zufelt, a spokesman for the Diocese of Greensburg.
At one time, church schools were supported entirely by their parishes.
“Then it just became prohibitively expensive to do that,” Zufelt said.
Sacred Heart parish in Jeannette rents its elementary school to Seton Hill Child Services, Inc. and the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit. The school building at St. Edward in Hermine is leased by Northwestern Human Services and used as a school for children with autism, and Holy Cross in Youngwood rents its school to the Tots N Tykes Day Care center.
Converting old schools into apartments and condominiums can be expensive and even impractical because the buildings were not designed to live in.
“There are many things that come into play. Halls in some schools can be 10 to 15 feet wide and they might also be supports for ceilings,” said Watson.
South Hills High School in Mt. Washington sat vacant for 20 years before it was transformed into 106 apartments for senior citizens, opening in 2010.
“It was a $23 million project. Architecturally, it is a pretty building,” said Victor Rodriguez, president of a.m. Rodriguez Associates, the company that rebuilt the school and that also plans to renovate the former Prospect Middle School in Mt. Washington. Rodriguez has converted former schools in to apartments in Carnegie and Duquesne.
If the St. Athanasius community center is not a gold mine, it adds vibrancy to the parish and officials say it generates some income.
“There is a cost to running the building. Using is as a community center offsets some of the cost, since some people pay rent. What we really did not want was for the building to stay empty,” said Deacon Bill Palamara of St. Athanasius.
Rick Wills is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7944 or at rwills@tribweb.com.
