Worcester Academy's purchase of ex-St. Vincent property sets stage for performance center
Worcester Academy has completed the purchase of the remaining 6 acres of former St. Vincent Hospital property along Providence Street.
The president of the school’s board of trustees, Henry Dormitzer, said in a statement Wednesday that the acquisition reinforces Worcester Academy’s commitment to the Union Hill neighborhood, and paves the way for construction of a new Worcester Academy South Campus Performance Center.
The parcel, sold by Liberty Properties of Boston, includes a portion of the old St. Vincent Hospital building still standing on the site, a parking lot, and a vacant former generator building. The generator building, off Marion Avenue, will serve as the primary footprint for the performance center. The building will be expanded to include seating for 120, a box office, dressing rooms, a green room, gallery space and an open air patio.
The remaining portion of the former St. Vincent Hospital building still standing will remain vacant, Dormitzer said. The school will close exterior walls, seal it from the elements, and make some modest improvements to the exterior, he said.
The new property is contiguous to 9 acres of former hospital land that Worcester Academy previously purchased from Liberty: roughly 6 acres in 2007 and another 3 acres in 2010, the statement said. Those two portions of the property had remained largely vacant after St. Vincent’s sold the property and moved downtown in 2000.
Acquisition of those parcels led to the construction of Morse Field, a lighted, synthetic field which — like other Worcester Academy Fields — is available to neighborhood residents, schools, and community groups. Nearby Union Hill School uses the field for recess, PE classes, and events.
“Worcester Academy’s commitment to Union Hill has never been stronger,” said Head of School Ron Cino. “We’re thrilled to share our fields and facilities with neighborhood residents.”
He noted that the new performance center under construction will be the first performing arts building constructed by Worcester Academy since Warner Theater was built in 1932.
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