St. Louis Business Journal - Friday, January 9, 2009
The Clayton Child Center and Clayton Academy’s move to Richmond Heights will cost about $2 million. The nonprofit, which teaches pres-school through eight grade, has leased the former St. Luke the Evangelist school from the Archdiocese of St. Louis and plans to move in February 2009 at a cost of $900,000. A new gym will cost about $1.2 million, according to Executive Director Barbara Geno. BSI is the general contractor, and Christner is the architect. Sun Security Trust is the lender on the first phase, and a $1 million in fundraising is in the works. The school’s Infant Toddler Center will remain in Clayton.
St. LouisPost Dispatch - Sunday, December 21, 2008
ClaytonChild Center to move to former Catholic school; A moving date has not been set.
By Nancy Cambria
The Clayton Child Center plans to move its Preschool and K-8 Clayton Academy to a newly expanded facility in Richmond Heights in February.
The 29-year-old independent school has signed a 30-year lease with the St. Louis Archdiocese to move to the former St. Luke the Evangelist grade school at 1414 Bellevue Avenue, officials announced Friday. A moving date has not been set, but the school plans to make the switch over a weekend, said Development Director Lori Hampel.
The Clayton Child Center's preschool and K-8 programs are currently at 7501 Maryland Avenue, in the former Maryland School, a building owned by the Clayton School District. The district has been leasing the building to the private school since 1981. The school pays $26,675 a month for the building, though $11,000 of that covers contracted custodial and other maintenance services, said Clayton district spokesman Chris Tennill.
Tennill said the Clayton School Board decided to terminate the arrangement after a facilities master planning committee recommended selling the building and the nearby Bracken building, the former home of the district's administrative offices.
"They took a long and hard look at what to do with our unused property and decided, if we have no plans to use it, then we might as well sell it," Tennill said.
Tennill said the board had not taken any action on a building sale.
Clayton Child Center also operates a 52-student infant and toddler program in Oak Knoll Park. That will remain in its current location, Hampel said.
The new facility gives the school, with 154 preschoolers and K-8 students, the opportunity to expand enrollment, though it has no such plans at this time, Hampel said.
Renovations are being made at the former parish school, which closed in 2007. Officials hope to construct a gymnasium and are planning a $1 million expansion fund-raising campaign.