An ailing Catholic school in the Bronx — about to graduate its last class of students after more than a century — could possibly be redeveloped into residential housing after the sale of its building is finalized this summer, city records show.
All Hallows High School, which was founded in 1909 by the Congregation of Christian Brothers, is closing its doors this year following decades of financial distress. Real estate firm Azimuth Development Group, based in Lower Manhattan, is in contract to acquire the school’s 4-story building, located at 1000 Walton Ave. in the South Bronx, for $24 million, according to documents that appeared in the city register last week.
Ronald Schutte, president of All Hallows, which for the first time in its 115-year history allowed girls into its classrooms at the start of the last school year, signed the contract on behalf of the seller March 25, records show.
The sale of the aging campus building, between East 164th and East 165th streets, which is around the corner from Yankee Stadium, was approved unanimously by the school’s board of trustees in January; because the school is an educational nonprofit, the sale requires legal approval. The final closing date, pending that approval, is slated for July 11, records show.
The school’s current operating deficit of $1.7 million is projected to exceed $2 million by June, and its current student population of 325 is far below the 514 that were enrolled in 2018, according to court documents.
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce this painful and difficult, but necessary and practical, decision,” said Bro. Patrick Moffett, chair of the school’s board of trustees. “This decision came after much frank discussion and measured and prayerful deliberation.”
Guido Subotovsky, president of Azimuth Development, signed the contract on behalf of the buyer, records show. His firm’s portfolio is focused on affordable and market-rate housing, including projects at 15 W. 118th St. in Harlem and 253 E. 142nd St. in the Bronx, according to Azimuth’s website. What Azimuth has in store for the site is unclear. The 84,920-square-foot building, completed in 1931, sits on a 37,100-square-foot plot of land zoned for high-density residential, records show. Subotovsky did not return a request for comment by press time.
All Hallows was founded as an all-boys school and remained that way until last year, when St. Barnabas, an all-girls Catholic school also in the Bronx, shuttered abruptly, and All Hallows, led by principal Nicholas Corrado, made room for the girls, The New York Times reported in March.
The now-coed Catholic school, whose minority student enrollment is more than 98%, was originally located at 13-15 W. 124th St. in Manhattan but moved to its current location in the South Bronx in 1931. The school has an alternate address listed as 111 E. 164th St.
Anthony Dougherty, an attorney at Midtown-based law firm Archer & Greiner, which is representing the school in the sale, did not return a request for comment by press time.
