What are the future plans for five former schools in Gardner? What city officials say

With the grand opening of Gardner’s new pre-K through grade 4 elementary school two years ago – the first school ever built in the city expressly for elementary students – the focus of city officials has been placed on five former school buildings in the city that have since been repurposed for other uses or are otherwise unoccupied at present.

The schools are among the most historic buildings in Gardner. Some are currently the home for new tenants, one will be converted into market rate apartments, and one is scheduled for demolition. Here are the current and future plans for five of the city’s former school buildings.

Waterford Street School

Originally opened in 1953, the building on Waterford Street has served as Gardner Junior High School and an elementary school over the years. Officials announced in 2022 that the facility would become the home of a new, multi-tenant community center.

Growing Places, a nonprofit founded in 2001 that focuses on healthy food access and environmental sustainability, is currently fully operating under a license agreement with the city, according to Mayor Michael Nicholson.

“Once things progress on the construction side of things, the (Gardner Community Action Committee) is the next tenant we hope will be able to move into the facility, as they are already under a current lease agreement with the city for the space they currently occupy in the current senior center building,” Nicholson said. “We are also working with the members of the Historical Commission for them to be able to occupy space in the building for their archives and The Gardner News archive books.”

The facility is also the future home of the Gardner Senior Center.

More: Former Waterford Street School to be home to Gardner community center

Construction is underway to add new heat pump/mini-split units and light switches in each room, a kitchen hood and fire suppressant system, plumbing and electrical upgrades, new concrete ramps and walkways, and the installation of automatic “grocery store-style” sliding doors to the building entrance, according to Nicholson. The facility’s parking lot is also scheduled to be repaved.

The majority of the construction was being funded through a $550,000 loan taken out by the city for building upgrades and a $400,000 earmark that was put into the fiscal 2023 state budget and approved and signed into law as a grant for the city to use for the project.

Elm Street School

Serving as the city’s high school for nearly 40 years since it opened in 1927, the former Elm Street School currently has several notable tenants, including the Gardner Academy for Learning and Technology, the Boys and Girls Club of Gardner, and the Gardner Public Schools' Central Office, which used to occupy the modular building at the former Waterford Street School.

“(We) are grateful to reside in the former Elm Street School,” said Brandon Hughey, director of the Boys and Girls Club of Gardner. “We are honored to carry a legacy of helping nurture the young minds of our community, just as Elm Street School did for so many across multiple generations.”

Several local sports teams and organizations are also currently utilizing the building’s gymnasium for practices and other events, according to Mayor Nicholson.

Prospect School

Built in 1923 at 75 East Broadway, the building housed a grammar school until it closed in 2003. The building was then the site of CAPS Collaborative and the Gardner Academy of Learning and Technology.

In 2023, the building was purchased by Molina Realty Group for $105,000, and owner Tony Molina said he plans to convert the property, which includes the 26,676-square-foot building and approximately 74,923 square feet of land, into market rate, upscale housing.

Molina Realty Group has purchased several properties in the city, including the former Wheelen Supply building, the former Gardner News building, and the former Bank of America building, according to Mayor Nicholson.

“They are focusing their energies on one property at a time, so they are hoping to get to (the Prospect School) project later this year,” Nicholson said.

Molina said he planned to convert the building to between 16 and 20 open-loft, one- or two-bedroom apartments.

School Street School

The former grammar school, built in 1903, closed in 1983. After briefly being the home of the CAPS Collaborative School, the vacant building, which city officials said was the site of numerous break-ins, was fully condemned.

“This city is in the process of including this property as part of the city’s 2024/2025 Community Development Block Grant application for demolition, (with a plan of) creating a new parking lot and add-on space for Jackson Playground,” said Mayor Nicholson.

More: Gardner officials to vote on selling School Street School for $1

The land the former school was built on was subject to Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution, which protects land that was originally purchased for playground or park purposes.

“This use is completely in line with those restrictions and allows to make the area more appealing while we look at upgrades to Jackson Playground and the skate park as a whole in the next few years,” Nicholson said.

Helen Mae Sauter School

Originally the home of Gardner High School, the building on Elm Street has been the home of several tenants over the years, including a middle school, an elementary school, Mount Wachusett Community College, and the Gardner Academy of Learning and Technology. The building, which was named after a longtime member of the School Committee in 1988, was also the home of the Gardner Public Schools' Central Office before they moved next door to the former Elm Street School.

“With everything else going on right now, we’re still evaluating what to do with this facility,” Mayor Nicholson said. “We know it needs a new roof as the current slate roof has significant leak issues, but we have a few options we’re weighing, and I expect a plan for this building to be released later this year.”

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Waterford Street, Elm Street, Prospect schools in Gardner get new life