Mount Pleasant High School
3/28/2024 Update:
Since the fall of 2023, PPS has been doggedly monitoring developments at Mount Pleasant High School (1938). We are attending update meetings – so many meetings – and reading the tea leaves, we see reason to believe that the school will not be demolished, but will more likely be substantially renovated, keeping the building’s central structure intact and adding new classroom wings. This would retain the building’s main entrance and elegant façade, and most importantly perhaps, it would mean that the school’s beautiful auditorium, which seats close to 1,000, would remain in place and in use for Mount Pleasant’s highly respected music and theater programs – but this is not assured, and we will continue to keep you updated.
In February, the city invited bids for either demolition/new construction or partial renovation, and though the deadline had to be extended twice to garner enough bids, the department now has several bids under review (from Agostini Construction and Shawmut/Finegold Alexander Architects) and plans to hold a series of community events to present the new direction in May. Mount Pleasant High School was listed on PPS’s Most Endangered Places list this year and we continue to advocate for its adaptive reuse.
2/28/2024 Update:
This past Monday, February 26, design/build bid packages for two new preK-8 schools and two possible options for Mount Pleasant High School were due at City Hall. The Request for Proposals invited submissions of two scenarios for Mount Pleasant: A) new construction, or B) a “hybrid” development, or partial renovation. The RFP makes it clear that preservation of the entire building is not on the table. It’s likely that the partial renovation option pertains to parts of the school’s distinctive facade or its grand entrance and 900+ seat auditorium, which has been updated with help from the Champlin Foundation, making it a quality performance space. When it came time to open and read out the bids, it was announced that the RFP deadline has been extended to March 11. Stay tuned.
11/09/2023 Update:
Stage II plans for Mount Pleasant High School, called the “Development of a Solution,” are due in late February, and will likely include more detailed plans created with architectural and engineering teams. PPS hopes to see a hybrid solution that renovates the entire facade, lobby, and auditorium, with the classrooms and other spaces redesigned to suit 21st-century school standards. A hybrid solution that prioritizes the retention of Mount Pleasant’s facade would align with the City of Providence’s pledge to be a Climate Jobs City and RIDEM’s new Environmental Justice Policy, as the carbon emissions from the demolition of a 300,000-square-foot building and new construction would negate benefits from a newer, energy-efficient school for anything between 10 and 80 years. Considering that nearby Warwick is on track to spend $350 million on two new high schools, a ticket price similar to the $170-190 million quoted for a full renovation of Mount Pleasant, renovation and retrofitting offer a stronger solution from both an economic and environmental perspective.
10/11/2023 Update:
The initial September 15 deadline for Mount Pleasant High School was only the first of three steps of the “Necessity of School Construction” application process. The next steps are the Stage II application, due on February 15, 2024, and City Council approval, to occur in May 2024. Once these steps are complete, the plans will enter a Design Review process. While a full renovation is off the table, hybrid options are being considered. PPS will continue to advocate for a Mount Pleasant that retains its facade, as supported by many community members, students and faculty. You can learn more about this process here. Please share your comments with Superintendent Javier Montanez (401-456-9100), Director of School Building Authority Mario Carreno (mario.carreno@ride.ri.gov), and Councilwoman Jo-Ann Ryan (ward5@providenceri.gov or 401-521-7477).
Read PPS’ public statement on this issue.
8/29/2023 Update:
Mount Pleasant High School is still under discussion for potential demolition, with a decision deadline as soon as September 15. There are no more community meetings scheduled for public feedback. The $80 million gap between estimated cost of new construction and a renovation has yet to be adequately demonstrated, and no existing designs have been released to the public. PPS questions the quick turnaround for this decision and the lack of transparency regarding the real costs and educational planning for Mount Pleasant.
To demand clear estimates of renovation costs and to oppose the total demolition of Mount Pleasant High School, please share your comments with Councilwoman Jo-Ann Ryan by email (ward5@providenceri.gov) or phone (401-521-7477), with the Governor’s Office on their website or phone (401-222-2080), and with RIDE by phone (401-222-4600).
8/10/2023:
Mount Pleasant High School, photo courtesy of Kenneth C. Zirkel
The Providence Public School District held community meetings in-person on July 24 and over Zoom on August 1 to discuss the future of the Mount Pleasant High School building, which has been determined to be unsatisfactory in its current state. Renovation, partial demolition, and wholly new construction are all options being considered, with a final decision to come as early as September 15. While three options have been outlined, PPSD presented the community-preferred option for renovation as extraordinarily more expensive than a complete demolition and rebuild. Clear, informed estimates for the cost of all available options have not yet been shared.
The lightning-quick turnaround for this decision and the lack of transparency regarding the real expense of preservation vs. new construction is disappointing and unsatisfactory. PPS is against any demolition of this architecturally and locally significant public building, and will be advocating for a more thorough community process to decide the future of this school. In January, we included the Providence Public Schools on our annual list of Most Endangered Properties, citing delayed maintenance and disinvestment as a significant threat to the city’s 30+ historic school buildings. “Historic” only comes to mean “inadequate” when generations of policymakers and administrators neglect their responsibility to care for the public buildings where our city’s youth spend their formative years. The city’s historic neighborhood schools should be viewed as an asset as the district regroups and makes strategic investments.
Mount Pleasant High School was completed in 1938 in the Collegiate Gothic Style, a popular style across the country, but relatively rare in Providence. This largely intact public building is impressively sited on one of the city’s largest public school campuses, providing much welcome and used open space, and is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The school was slated for demolition in 2006, resulting in outcry from neighborhood residents and ultimately the protection of this historic community resource.
To demand clear estimates of renovation costs and to oppose the total demolition of Mount Pleasant High School, please share your comments with Councilwoman Jo-Ann Ryan by email (ward5@providenceri.gov) or phone (401-521-7477).