As parents and staff look to the future of following the expectation that it will in the fall, it is interesting to note that several former school buildings in New London have found new life. The former Saltonstall School on Truman Street now houses and other organizations, while the Nameaug School on Montauk Ave. is now an office building. The former site of the now contains the , while the Bulkeley High School has found renewed educational purpose as the .
The F.W. Edgerton School, unfortunately, has proved the exception to the rule. Located at 120 Cedar Grove Ave., the building is boarded up and overgrown. It is located a stone's throw from a set of modular classrooms, which were placed on Veterans Field and most recently served students. But with a Board of Education vote to in the coming year these modulars will have served their purpose and no students will be returning to Cedar Grove Ave.
According to city records, the one-story Edgerton School was built in 1962 and the property has about 30,000 square feet. In 1999, it was identified as one of 28 schools in the state in need of major academic improvement. The school worked its way off the state's low-performing list four years later. closed the school in 2006, and a year later the city agreed to sell the property to developer Peter Levine, who proposed demolishing the building and replacing it with condominiums.
The real estate slump put a spanner in the works on this project, although city records say the property remains in Levine's possession via the limited liability corporation Colman Square Partners. Former city councilor Michael Buscetto III featured the school when he last year, saying the ideal candidate for the office would have experience in economic development.
Do you think the school should be rehabilitated or torn down? What would you like to see at this location?
