St. Patrick's Old Cathedral School, at 32 Prince Street between

Mulberry ''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of diverse species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 identif ...

and Mott Streets in the Nolita neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, was a Roman Catholic Pre-K through 8th grade school. It was one of the oldest schools in the Archdiocese of New York and in the city. It was founded by the Sisters of Charity and had a peak enrollment of approximately 500 students, Catholics and non-Catholics alike. The

Federal-style Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the newly founded United States between 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815, which was heavily based on the works of Andrea Palladio with several in ...

building has been a

New York City landmark The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...

since 1966 and, as part of the

St. Patrick's Old Cathedral The Basilica of Saint Patrick's Old Cathedral, sometimes shortened to St. Patrick's Old Cathedral or simply Old St. Patrick's, is a Catholic parish church, basilica, and the former cathedral of the Archdiocese of New York, located in the Nolita ...

complex, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It has been described as "the most significant institutional building in the Federal style surviving in New York City.", p.42 The school closed in June 2010 due to low enrollment, and is slated to be turned into luxury townhouses, condominiums, and office space.

History

The brick building which the school occupied was built in 1825–1826 for the Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum, which had been founded in 1822 in a wooden building on the same site by three Sisters of Charity sent by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton., p.503 In 1851, the asylum became for girls only, and in 1886 was turned into St. Patrick's Convent and Girls' School, New York's first and oldest parochial school. Beginning with the city's Irish, French, and German Catholic communities, the school served successive generations of immigrant children. Film director Martin Scorsese was a notable alumnus from the school's Little Italy generations, during the early and middle 1900s. Even in the 21st century, the school's population included a diverse mix of immigrants from many races and ethnic communities; school notices were routinely printed in English, Spanish, and Chinese. Over 90% of students came from families below the national poverty level.

Closure

The Archdiocese of New York closed Saint Patrick's Old Cathedral School in June 2010, due to low enrollment. Parents of the final 129 students in Pre-K through eighth grade were given the opportunity to enroll them in the nearby Immaculate Conception School, St. Brigid School, or Our Lady of Sorrows School.

References

Notes Bibliography *Staff (June 21, 1966)
"Old St. Patrick's Convent and Girls' School Designation Report"
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission {{Nolita, state=collapsed Defunct schools in New York City New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan Defunct Catholic schools in the United States Private K–8 schools in Manhattan Nolita