Castle hassle
Future of Grand Concourse building in jeopardy
THE CASTLE on the Concourse is coming down.
The city Department of Housing Preservation and Development deemed a landmarked Grand Concourse school building unsalvageable, putting the kibosh on a dream scheme for it s redevelopment.
Public School 31, the 114-year-old Gothic-style building in Mott Haven that graduated thousands of Bronxites, is so structurally unsound that it’s slated to be torn down, the Daily News has learned.
“It’s a tragedy,” said Phillip Morrow, the head of the nonprofit group SoBro. “As soon as we gave them a proposal, they moved to tear it down.”
SoBro and other community groups rallied to save the crumbling school last summer, pushing a plan to convert the site into lofts and a gallery for local artists. The plan was buoyed by the interest of Goldman Sachs’ Urban Investment Group.
But the Department of Buildings has ordered the city-owned site’s demolition, and all that stands in the way of leveling Public School 31 is a Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing later in December.
Built between 1897 and 1899, the once grand Victorian structure has become an eyesore in the neighborhood.
The building was landmarked in 1986, but the city discovered it had major structural problems and closed it in 1997.
The space has been vacant — and decaying — ever since; the last time it was even shored up was in the 1990s, city officials said.
Hurricane Sandy compounded the problems at the site, dislodging part of the facade.
The building occasionally rains debris onto the street below and is considered a public safety hazard, said Department of Buildings engineer Timothy Lynch.
But the historic structure wasn’t always so decrepit. It once boasted magnificent stained glass windows, 18-foot ceilings, arches and an auditorium with pressed wood finishes. It was heated by steam engine, was originally built for gas lighting and didn’t initially have indoor plumbing.
One teacher, who worked at the school for more than 20 years but asked not to be named, said the building was a relic of the Bronx’s academic heritage.
“As soon as you walked in, you had respect for the building — and for education itself,” the teacher said. “This was like a church.”
The Landmarks Preservation Commission will allow the public to weigh in on Jthe school one last time at a hearing to be held Dec. 17.
“That will give all interested parties an opportunity to testify about the proposed demolition of the building,” said Elisabeth de Bourbon, a spokeswoman for the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
jcunningham@nydailynews.com