What is the history and present use of 920 Park Pl at NY Ave?

I didn't think that St. gregory's actually operated that building as a school anymore because of structural damage to the building and no way to pay for the necessary repairs.

And, @whynot, i think the sweet spot for private education tuition in Crown Heights is like $13-15,000/year, with generous financial aid programs available. The private preschool/elementary schools many send their kids to -- Coop School, Maple Street, Lefferts Montessori, Union Temple, and frankly most daycares -- seem to be in that range. 

Another thing worthy of consideration is that due to the amount of high income families moving into the area, the number of Haitian SDA families in the area is likely decreasing over the next 5-10 years which could prove troublesome for Hebron.

It could be interesting however if they could position themselves as a bilingual school much like Lyceé Français. That would do well for attracting longtime Haitian families in the neighborhood as well as new residents scouting out schools for their kids. A building of that size could easily position itself as one of the best schools in the area if they had enough money to restore/renovate and attract a lot of students of all backgrounds.

Someone made a comment about the price of schools. Private schools do offer financial aid and often hold art auctions, etc. in order to raise funds to go toward financial aid. But like @crownheightser said, $13-15,000 does seem like a nice sweet spot.

Because Haitian children do not speak traditional French, I am not sure the parents paying $14k would view it as a desirable 2nd language.

if i were principal of Hebron SDA school, I would create a long term plan to transform it into a Lycee Francaus (a la @BryceTC), with big financial aid and recruitment of Haitian families and an emphasis on both classic French and Haitian Creole. It would be a touch balancing act, but a strong academic program, bi-lingual instruction, emphasis on Haitian and French colonial history and culture, could make it something awesome. And if I were the principal, I'd consider making religious instruction an after-school activity that students could opt into (like catechism), so that attracting non-SDA families could become a more real possibility. And like in Jewish schools, have family celebrations for holidays and follow the SDA rules when it comes to things like cafeteria food (I think SDA are vegetarian). 

This is all speculation on my part! And "what ifs!"

crownheightster said:

I didn't think that St. gregory's actually operated that building as a school anymore because of structural damage to the building and no way to pay for the necessary repairs.

Nope. They are open and have students this year. The school relocated to Church Avenue. 

Yes; what I meant to point out was that the building that housed St. Gregory's school at St. John's has not been in operation for some time (the past three years at least).

whynot_31 said:

Because Haitian children do not speak traditional French, I am not sure the parents paying $14k would view it as a desirable 2nd language.

There are people paying $32,000 just so their child can speak French as a second language already. https://www.lfny.org/en/index.php/admissions/tuition/

Additionally while most Haitian people do not speak French, most do have some form of competency in it since formal education has been taught in French there for some time.

As a result of being owned by a religious organization, this site is exempt from taxes.

So, the church may not be in any rush to get the site fully utilized.

I wonder how hard it would be to get working elevators in it.

Building is landmarked, so it would need to be completely internal without any changes to the exterior for a shaft or mechanicals. 

Without an elevator, I doubt this building could get any city, state or federal funds for capital improvement.

I believe all of those sources require ADA compliance.

Are you sure it doesn't have one? Many of the other school buildings of similar age were retrofitted with them in the 30's & 40's.

I would like to think that DOH required elevators in nursing homes prior to this one closing in 1976.

I think we can infer that if there is one, it is broken.

https://twitter.com/joseluisdp

great photo whynot!. the photo hides the recent sky blue paint applied to the lower part of the walls by maintenance. Great kids I have encountered coming and going to school.

Does anyone seem to notice that the backyard has become a kind of storage lot for dead cars with no license plates?

A few months ago the grass was getting overgrown and was making the block look gross. I complained online and it was cut about week later so it's apparent that they're willing to do little things. But I don't think they have the funds to fix things like the sidewalk or anything else about the school. For a building so huge, it's sad so much of it is unused. I'm afraid that by the time they decide to give it up, if they ever do, it'll be too late and whoever buys the building will be forced to take it down.

The super from my building across the street often ends up sweeping up garbage that ends up on the Sterling Place side of the school. I'm glad he does that, but it sucks that the school can't take care of its property.

I view the school as mere renters. The responsibility should fall on the owners.

The school isn't renting the building. The building was bought by Hebron&NEC with the sole purpose of being a school. There is a small church, however, called River Jordan SDA that rents out the chapel for services.

The bright blue paint was painted by members from the church and school

The bright blue paint is quite bright.

The school's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Hebron-SDA-Bilingual-School-HBS-256302934447828/