Two weeks ago, I wrote about the impending destruction of St. Paul’s, a beautiful turn-of-the-century school building in Garden City, Long Island (detect a bit of smarminess in that post? Sorry, it’s just that sometimes what you find to be obvious isn’t so obvious to others). The city is currently exploring the costs of demolition, and it looks like this time, it may actually happen.
There’s one final public hearing on the matter on Thursday, September 30th, at 8:00 PM at the Garden City Village Hall (351 Stewart Ave, Garden City, NY). It’s open to the public. Anyone who wishes to speak will have to register at the event and keep their comments to a 3-minute limit…And I promise, there’s going to be a very impassioned debate.
For more info, check out the Committee To Save St. Paul’s, or join the Facebook support page.
-SCOUT
Though I’m in Wisconsin and not NYC, I sent an email to the mayor of Garden City urging him to recognize the importance of the building.
“This short email is to encourage you to recognize and embrace the unbelievable value that lies in St. Paul’s. Living in a small midwestern community that has tragically lost nearly all of our historic buildings, I can’t recommend enough that you do everything in your power to preserve history. These decisions can not be reversed, and regret is a terrible feeling.
Less than 2 hours later I received a response saying that he would share my comments with the board of trustees. Hopefully a good sign, and hopefully a lot more emails are heading his way.
I grew up near St. Pauls and had an opportunity to go inside when it was still an active school in the 80s. The inside is more amazing than the outside. That place is a piece of GC history that will be lost forever. While residents argue the building decays. GC used to be classy, but now they would rather have some ugly McMansions there. Sad.
Wow, I just found this post. My dad went there in the 60s, thanks for bringing this to my attention. I wonder if his picture is still somewhere inside? (He was valedictorian and on the football team)
Looks like your campaign was successful, and it’s not going to get demolished after all!
http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2011/04/28/architectural-albatross-suburb-cant-part-with-unused-building/
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This school was fantastic,we stayed in it for 3 weeks in 1980 while we played soccer(football) with the British soccer school.
What a place remember going to watch the shining at a drive in movie and then being scared for the rest of the trip.
I will visit the area again in the next few years and show and tell my wife what a great place this school was.