Rendering of new campus plan.
An historic church and an historic school building will be renovated, and a crumbling former rectory and convent will come down to make room for new athletic fields and a basketball court, under a plan to build a new campus for St. Martin de Porres Academy.
The tuition-free faith-based middle school announced Wednesday that it is moving ahead with that plan, which received city approvals in 2019, to remake its Columbus Avenue campus on the former site of Sacred Heart St. Peter School.
The school has been raising money since then to begin the project, a process that took longer than expected because of the pandemic, according to board member David Newton.
Back in 2019 some people objected to the demolition of the buildings, and raised concerns about neighborhood parking. The plan announced Wednesday includes off-street parking for school staffers and families, to free up street spaces. (Read previous coverage of those plans, and community reaction, here and here.)
Hill Alder Carmen Rodriguez told the Independent Wednesday that the neighborhood is fully “on board” with the project.
“We are very excited to see this for the children, for the teacher, and for the community, as well,” she said. “The children are already doing so well at the school. This is to me a reward for them — to be able to go into the school and have a great place to continue learning, and a great playground for them to continue foster friendships that will last a lifetime.”
Following is the text of a release the school sent out Wednesday:
Thomas Breen Photo
School President Allison Rivera.
St. Martin de Porres Academy will soon have a gleaming green field for lacrosse/field hockey/soccer and a safer, dedicated new basketball court for the School and the children in the Hill neighborhood, Allison Rivera, President of Saint Martin de Porres Academy, announced today.
As part of the Project, the School will make improvements to and preserve the 127-year-old School building and preserve the 167-year-old church, the two buildings that anchor the property. Both are contributing structures to the National Historic District. The project has the support of the neighborhood preservation advocacy organization Trowbridge Renaissance, as well as the Alders, Community Management Team and more than 150 neighbors who signed a petition in favor of the undertaking, which includes the demolition of two buildings, a former convent and rectory, both also listed as contributing structures and a garage that are crumbling and unsafe. The site plan was unanimously approved by the City of New Haven City Plan Commission on July 17, 2019.
The School provides a tuition-free, extended day education for underserved girls and boys from low-income families in the New Haven area from grades five through eight and supports its students academically, emotionally and financially through middle school, high school and college.
“Eighty-nine percent of the Academy’s graduates are enrolled on scholarship in regional college preparatory high schools, so offering non-traditional inner-city sports like lacrosse, field hockey, baseball and soccer gives our students a leg up when they enter suburban prep schools where they are often the economic and racial minority. This Project will make this possible,” Rivera said.
“The School intends to make its new athletic facilities available to the children in the neighborhood,” Rivera said. “Our Hill neighborhood is ready to see this property reflect the vitality of its residents, and this investment in our youth is long overdue. In addition to the proven benefits of exercise, sports also provide students the opportunity to develop important life skills, such as teamwork, discipline, the rewards of hard work and practice, tenacity, resilience and grit. In a world dominated by screens — and especially for kids who may not have a backyard to play in at home — access to green space and structured outdoor activities supports their mental, spiritual and physical health. With the pandemic having impacted black and brown communities the hardest, it is more important than ever to support our youth in this way.”
Rivera explained that the School’s current basketball court serves as a focal point for the young children in the community, but that the basketball court also doubles as a parking lot, which creates a safety concern for both the students as well as the neighborhood children who play there. “Having a designated basketball court will address both issues,” she said.
Rivera added that the project will include a new off-street parking lot, stating, “We have listened to the residents of our neighborhood that street parking is a major community concern, so our plan provides for new and expanded off-street parking for our staff members, volunteers and families along Columbus Avenue.”
“The transformation and upgrade to the property would be a welcomed gift to the students, staff, family and community. As the Alder of Ward 6 and a member of this community, I believe this much needed project is vital for the neighborhood. Saint Martin de Porres Academy has the overwhelming support from the community. Our neighbors are ready to see progress,” said Ward 6 Alder Carmen Rodriguez.
About Saint Martin de Porres Academy
Saint Martin de Porres Academy is located at the former site of Sacred Heart St. Peter School on Columbus Avenue, which was purchased along with the surrounding property from the Church of the Sacred Heart, in July of 2017.
Saint Martin de Porres Academy is a faith-based, NativityMiguel middle school that provides a tuition-free, extended day education for underserved girls and boys from low-income families in the New Haven area. They are an independent Catholic school committed to a belief in the dignity and worth of every person. They strive to provide each child with a promising start in life and to equip them to fulfill their academic potential while achieving spiritual and social maturity. They welcome children of all faiths, races and cultures. The school’s entire operating budget is fundraised annually.
The Academy makes a unique 12-year commitment to support its students academically, emotionally and financially through middle school, high school and college, as it strives to break the cycle of poverty through education and opportunity.
The Academy celebrates a 98 percent retention rate, 99 percent high school graduation rate and a 100 percent college acceptance rate. Saint Martin de Porres Academy’s 12-year commitment results in graduates who are 6 times more likely to graduate from college as compared with their peers, nationally.
89 percent of the Academy’s graduates are enrolled on scholarship in regional college preparatory high schools such as Choate, Notre Dame, Sacred Heart, Hopkins, Hamden Hall, Mercy, Xavier, Fairfield Prep, St. Joseph and Lauralton Hall.
Their graduates have graduated from or are currently attending schools like Princeton, Fairfield University, Georgetown, Quinnipiac, Connecticut College, St. Michael’s, Howard, Elon, Columbia, St. Lawrence, Sacred Heart, Morehouse, Albertus Magnus, Cornell, Trinity, Roger Williams, Sarah Lawrence, UCONN, among many others.