52nd City

St. Stanislaus Kostka School

On Sunday, I came across a story on STLtoday.com, indicating that the St. Stanislaus Kostka School, neighboring the sometimes-controversial North City parish, was hosting an open house later in the day. The event was held with the school's fate essentially sealed: the building, principally empty since the mid-'80s would be slated for demolition during the next week. Namely, this week. The idea presented by the parishioners was that the old school was beyond repair, with rehab costs too high to consider.

Having been creepin' through some rather shaky structures in recent months, the idea of simply walking into the place was interesting to say the least, so I packed cameras and came upon some interesting scenes.

A quartet of Polish nationals, all smoking cigarettes and animatedly jabbering, attempting to bring an oversized blackboard down an undersized stairwell. An elderly fellow talking about going to school there in the pre-WWII days. Folks buying items that seemed more nostalgic than practical.

How this building was deemed expendable... well, maybe the economics of its' neighborhood wouldn't allow a rebuild within the next five or 10 years. But was the building "in bad shape," as I've read in the P-D piece and on some blog commentary?

Nope. No way. 'Twas solid as a rock.

Pics here.