Demolition of former St. Mary Cathedral School will begin Monday

Bierlein construction workers remove a “St. Mary’s” name stone from its perch over an entrance to the former St. Mary Cathedral School in Saginaw. Bierlein crews will begin demolition of the building on Monday, June 16. The school, which was built in 1920, closed its doors to students in 1984 when the city’s three Catholic high schools merged to form Nouvel Catholic Central. It was later sold to a tri-city’s jobs program in 1988, which abandoned the property in 1990. The Catholic Diocese of Saginaw repurchased the property in September 2007 with the help of Neighborhood Renewal Services. An extensive renovation feasibility study determined the building was beyond repair and would have to be demolished. The school’s corner stone, “St. Mary’s” name stones and concrete crosses that overlooked the building’s entrances are being saved. The diocese also will put aside a limited number of bricks from the demolition to make available to St. Mary Cathedral School alumni. The razing of the former school is part of an ongoing Cathedral Campus Renewal Project.