St. Joseph’s High School: Classrooms to Bedrooms in the City of Lowell, MA

The Ramirez Inocence family: Fernando Ramirez, Ana Inocence, Nicole Ramirez, Amaly Ramirez

¿Cuales son sus nombres?
Ana: Mi nombre es Ana Inocense.
Fernando: Y yo soy Fernando Ramirez.

¿Por qué son miembros de CBA?Fernando: Porque, la verdad, es una organización que está cambiando a Lowell, dandole una nueva cara y mejorando la ciudad para el futuro.

¿Por qué vinieron a este evento hoy?
Fernando: Para ser participes de la nueva construcción del building y queremos estar allí apoyando todo.

¿Por qué creen que este proyecto seria bueno para construir nueva vivienda costeable?
Ana: Porque hay mucha familia que necesita casas, por situaciones economicas, y es un bueno proyecto porque aparte de todo, que da vida a este building solo, la gente que vive aqui, mas vida va a tener.

- The Ramirez Inocence family

(Translation:

What are your names?
Ana: My name is Ana Inocense.
Fernando: And I am Fernando Ramirez.

Why are you members of CBA?
Fernando: CBA is a really good organization, doing good things for Lowell, and improving the face of Lowell.

Why did you come to the Open House?
Fernando: We want to be participants in the event in order to support the project.

Why is this project to create more affordable housing good for the neighborhood?
Ana: There are lots of families that need affordable housing. It will be good to bring life back to this building. The more people who are here, the better it will be for the building. The building won’t just be empty, it will have lots of life.)

Amy Frechette and her daughter Elizabeth Frechette

What brought you to the Open House?

My sister-in-law works at CBA and she told me about the event. I came back hoping to run into some old classmates, and to bring back memories of high school.

There are so many buildings in the City of Lowell that are getting torn down, and it’s sad because the city has so much history.  If we are able to save some of those buildings—especially those buildings that have memories for older citizens… and not-so-older citizens!—I think that’s great and it shows the rest of the country just how proud we are of our history.

This particular building has so many generations who came here for school.  Why get rid of something that meant so much to so many members of the community?  If you can save the building by turning it into housing, why not?  This just shows what Lowellians can do to preserve their past.  Preserving the past is what’s important to me.

- Amy Frechette

I came here today because my mom and my aunts went to school here.  It is a part of their history, and Lowell’s.

-Elizabeth Frechette

Ray Tremblay, Class of 1962

Coming today brought back a lot of memories.  I went to school here from 1950-1962.  In 1960, I started being a DJ at St. Joe’s, and have remained a DJ to this day.  I came for an education and left with a career.

-Raymond Tremblay

Myrna Carrasco

Why is CBA such an important organization in the City?

CBA helps people, and not just through affordable housing.  CBA helps people from different ethnic groups get together, share experiences, and do things together for the community.

Why do you think this school has such a strong presence in the community?

Because of the people who came here today, I see that there was something nice.  They were here before—came for school and —and I see their faces.  I’ve lived in this neighborhood for about 20 years, and although I didn’t come to this school, today is exciting because I would like to have an apartment in this place.

- Myrna L. Carrasco

Adam Sandelli is a graduate of Lowell Catholic, Class of 1999

What brought you here today to the Open House?

My mother graduated from St. Joseph’s back in 1973.  Through my connection to Lowell Catholic, I saw that they were trying to help out with raising money for the renovations here.

What importance does this school have in the neighborhood?

My grandmother has lived in this neighborhood since (about) 1943, and she still lives here.  In fact, she just sold her house on School Street to my brother, so my family still has a deeply rooted neighborhood connection.

I think it’s good that someone will be using the building.  I’m glad to see that it’s not going to be run down.  It’s not going to be knocked down.  It’s not going to be something very simply thrown up… I think there’s enough tripledeckers in the neighborhood, so it’s nice that CBA will preserve the building.

- Adam Sandelli graduated from Lowell Catholic in 1999.

Brian K. Murphy

What brought you here today to the Open House?

I am very active in the community, particularly with regard to the Hamilton District Canal project.  I went to a meeting the other night where I met Suzanne Frechette, who’s very active with CBA.  She made me aware of what’s going on here at the school, so I thought it was important to become active in this as well.

I was a student of the school in 1976, 1977, and 1978, and there’s a lot of good memories that I have of the school.  I would like to think that there’s an opportunity to utilize the building and not leave it vacant.  We do need housing, whether it be for low income or elderly within the community, and I think this is a great project that they are considering funding in order to bring the building back—even better than it is now!  For this beautiful structure to be left vacant is obviously not its best use.  And, as I said, the community does have need for low income and elderly housing.

I support this project 100%!

This building has been part of the community for many many years.  To see it go away wouldn’t be such a good idea because it has had such a strong presence.  It should be brought back and used as housing.  Or used in another fashion other than leaving the building vacant, which obviously does nothing for the community.  It being unoccupied lends itself to vandalism and deterioration.

It’s a beautiful structure and I would hate to see it go by the wayside.

- Brian K. Murphy

Mark Watson

Why did you come to the Open House today?

This building has a lot of meaning to me.  I spent four years of my life here.  The sisters and teachers helped me and shaped me into the person I am today… along with my parents, of course!

But, you know, this building is a beautiful building in that it is the cornerstone of the Acre.  A lot of us grew up in this building—and there were a lot of folks before and after us—and graduated from here.  But after touring the building and seeing how much work it needs, we definitely do need that grant to keep this building valuable for another lifetime and to preserve housing and services for the Acre.

Walking through the building today there were so many memories.  I could hear my classmates, believe it or not!  A lot of people walking around today are experiencing that too.  I would like to see this building preserved for the next generation of people who will be living here.

I vote every day.

- Mark Watson, Class of 1980

Robert Belanger with his wife, Claire Belanger (nee Lagasse ’62)

What brought you to the Open House today?

I heard that you were having the Open House, and I think it is a good idea to have this building commemorated, and have as much of the history maintained as possible.  I enjoyed my time here.

- Robert Belanger, Class of 1960 (with his wife, Claire Belanger, nee Lagasse ’62)

Norman and Mary Jo Zarella

What impact do you think the building has on the Acre neighborhood and on the City of Lowell at large?

I think that this building will help stabilize the neighborhood, the Acre.  And I think that bringing affordable housing in here and having people use the space would greatly help the City of Lowell.  We have a hospital up the street, a credit union down the street, and City Hall is located just a bit further.  So over the course of many years, a lot of good places have been sited in this little section.

I feel that this project is the ultimate in recycling, and in being green.  We are taking something that was built a long time ago, and utilizing it for a different purpose.  We are using a resource we already have, we’re not tearing anything down, and we’re making the building even better.

I think converting this school building into affordable housing is the greatest thing in the world.  Our community definitely needs it.

- Norman Zarella

Congresswoman Niki Tsongas

“I am pleased and proud to know that Lowell’s former St. Joseph’s High School has been selected by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express as one of 25 significant historic sites in Greater Boston to compete for preservation funds through the Partners in Preservation program.  This grant would help the Coalition for a Better Acre (CBA) in its renovation of the school building into 22 permanently affordable apartments. This renovation will not only provide beautiful and high quality housing in the historic Acre neighborhood of Lowell, but also will revive a monumental and highly visible community landmark and, in the process, revitalize a historically important neighborhood.  I encourage everyone to vote for the St. Joseph’s High School project.”

– Congresswoman Niki Tsongas