Sea Isle's Old School is Nearly All Gone

By DONALD WITTKOWSKI The ground shook each time the gaping metal jaws of two giant excavators tore chunks of brick, concrete and wood from the remnants of Sea Isle City’s former public school on Park Road. The din of shattered glass, twisted metal and crushed wood served as a somber soundtrack for the death of the 52-year-old building now in the final stages of demolition. Soon, it will be all gone. Demolition crews from R.E. Pierson Construction Co. Inc. have been tearing down the former school since March 21 to make room for the development of Sea Isle’s proposed $20 million community recreation center scheduled to open in 2025. They started at the nondescript rear of the building, methodically making their way toward the school’s decorative red-brick facade in the last two weeks. On Monday, one of the excavators obliterated the front entrance where the words “Sea Isle City Public School” once greeted children and teachers heading inside the building for classes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSpA9pdayr0 In their wake, the two excavators are leaving mountainous piles of brick, cinder blocks, wood and metal. The rubble will be removed later on to completely clear the site before construction begins in a few months on the community center. “Clearing away the former public school building marks the beginning of a new era in Sea Isle City, as we make room for our future Community Center – a facility that we are very excited to see built,” city spokeswoman Katherine Custer said. “When completed, the community center will offer spaces for a wide range of recreation activities for the people of Sea Isle City, including a wonderful gymnasium and walking track, as well as areas for fitness classes, civic meetings, children’s programs, and much more. There will be something for everyone at the community center,” she added. Construction is expected to take about 20 months to complete, a schedule that would put the grand opening in early 2025. The community center will occupy the same footprint of the old school on the block bordered by Park Road, Central Avenue, 45th Street and 46th Street. An artist's rendering depicts the community recreation center. (Courtesy of Sea Isle City) Architectural renderings of the community center unveiled earlier by the city show a two-story building featuring a glossy facade overlooking Central Avenue. Sea Isle officials say the building will include attractive architecture to blend in with the rest of the neighborhood. Although the old school will be gone, city officials have instructed the demolition contractor to save the building’s cornerstone and the mature trees surrounding the site. The trees will be incorporated in the community center’s landscaping design, Custer said. The school opened in 1971 as a centerpiece of the community. Throughout the years, the school went through dramatically different phases. During the 1980s, modular trailers were added to accommodate what was then Sea Isle’s growing student population. But student enrollment plummeted in later years, culminating in the school’s closure in 2012. Huge piles of bricks, cinder blocks, wood and metal are part of the rubble. However, the building got a second life in late 2012 when it became a temporary City Hall after Hurricane Sandy pummeled the city. The police department and other municipal offices moved into the school building following severe damage to the old City Hall. When Sea Isle’s new City Hall opened in 2015, the old school became largely empty again. Discussions began then about possibly repurposing the building as a community recreation facility or tearing it down altogether. Ultimately, city officials decided to redevelop the site with a new community recreation center. The last remnants of the school's red-brick facade are disappearing. Mature trees on the school property are being saved and will be incorporated in the landscaping plan for the community center. A brick wall on the south side of the building is one of the few remaining vestiges of the building.