News/Events

October 19, 2006 - Archdiocese of Boston And Presentation School Foundation Reach Agreement On Sale Of Oak Square Building

Brighton, MA…..The Archdiocese of Boston and the Presentation School Foundation (PSF) announced today that they have reached agreement on the sale of the former Our Lady of the Presentation School building in Brighton, Massachusetts. The agreement was announced in Oak Square today at an event attended by Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, representatives of the Presentation School Foundation and area residents.

The agreement calls for the PSF to purchase the former school building from the Archdiocese for $1 million. The building will be a centerpiece of a community campus that the PSF is developing in partnership with the Oak Square YMCA and the Boston Public Library. Programs to be offered include an affordable pre-school, after-school programs and summer camps for local youth, educational enrichment programs in science, math, reading and writing for children, and adult education programs, including ESL and Civics for immigrants. The building will not be used as an elementary school.

Cardinal Seán said, “The Archdiocese is pleased to complete this agreement so that this important building will continue to be used for the benefit of the local community. The PSF has recognized the needs of the people in Allston-Brighton and those of the Archdiocese in working towards an agreement that is mutually beneficial. The negotiations have been a long process for both parties, we are thankful that today we are able to announce the sale of the school building to the Foundation Through the Foundation’s commitment to the community they have developed initiatives that will serve adults and children and strengthen the surrounding neighborhoods.”

“Strong neighborhoods are the foundation of a strong city and the announcement today that Our Lady of Presentation will continue to serve the community is testament to the strong community spirit in Oak Square and throughout Brighton,” Mayor Menino said. “I am pleased that the Archdiocese and the Presentation School Foundation were able to work together to reach this important agreement and allow this facility to help build stronger communities and improve the quality of life for all Bostonians.”

Kevin M. Carragee, Chair, Presentation School Foundation said, “We are indebted to the collective work of so many Allston-Brighton residents who sacrificed for more than two years to make this agreement possible. The agreement indicates the Archdiocese’s support of PSF’s vision: a community-education center serving the pressing needs of children and adults.”

About the school building

For more than eighty years, Our Lady of the Presentation (OLP) Elementary School served the children and families from in and around the Brighton community. Constructed in 1928-29, the OLP building is a cornerstone of Oak Square along with the Oak Square Fire Station (1913), the Faneuil Branch Library (1932) and the recently constructed Oak Square YMCA.

About PSF

The Presentation School Foundation is a 501(c)(3) corporation formed to support education in Oak Square, Brighton to help maintain a stable and family-based community. The Foundation has built community partnerships within the Allston/Brighton neighborhood to expand educational opportunities and programs in support of local families. The Foundation Board is composed of residents, local business, and community leaders, including local elected officials. Created in 2004, the Foundation has developed a proposal for the creation of an Oak Square Community Campus, which includes the Presentation School property, the Oak Square YMCA, and the Faneuil Branch of the Boston Public Library.

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