Promises Made, Promises Not Kept for Mt. Pleasant High - Joanne Giannini
Joanne Giannini, Guest MINDSETTER™
Promises Made, Promises Not Kept for Mt. Pleasant High - Joanne Giannini
However, the plan still requires approval from Providence’s City Plan Commission, which will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at 4:45 p.m.
The officials broke ground before the plan commission approval, which sends a clear message that the partial demolition is a "done deal".
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTMount Pleasant High School was constructed in the Collegiate Gothic style in 1938 and resembles the buildings often found on Ivy League university campuses. Over the years, however, the city allowed it to fall into disrepair.
A 2017 report found that the roof had sprung multiple leaks and stones were falling off the building’s facade. Stained ceiling tiles, peeling paint, and worn linoleum flooring contributed to an overall atmosphere of neglect. Engineers estimated that the school needed $31 million in work.
Instead of renovating the shabby building, the district began investing less money on upgrades and repairs. From 2019 to 2023, the budget for physical improvements at Mount Pleasant fell from $29.1 million to $3.6 million, The Providence Journal previously reported.
In 2022, another assessment put the price tag for fixing the building’s deficiencies at $151 million. The following year, district leaders revealed that they were debating whether to replace or renovate the building.
Mount Pleasant High School had many years to deteriorate. It didn’t happen overnight, but occurred after decades of neglect, tolerance and simply looking the other way.
As a former graduate of Mt. Pleasant High School (Class of 1971), I remember a much different school system. In those days, all students were well accounted for. My graduating class had 767 graduates who walked on the beautiful field of Conley Stadium to receive their diplomas.
The Conley stadium bleachers on Graduation day, June 1971, were full of parents, relatives, and friends. In fact, the Conley Stadium at Mt. Pleasant High School was beautiful. It had two sets of bleachers, one large bleacher on each side. The field was well kept, the bleachers were clean and painted.
The inside of the school was clean, even though it was old. It was never considered unsafe then but we didn’t know about asbestos or mold, like we do today. We never had to worry about being safe in school because of deteriorating conditions or disruptive behavior.
Mount Pleasant High school was finished in 1938 to designs provided by architects at the Office of the Commissioner of Public Buildings in Providence. It is a monumental four-story red-brick-and-limestone building in the Collegiate Gothic mode. Our neighborhood residents have always admired the architecture and its stately presence. It is located on one of the city’s largest public-school campuses, amidst a Mt. Pleasant community where many of the residents have graduated from or attended.
Under the recommendations of the Facilities Master Plan by DeJONG educational consultants, Mt. Pleasant High School was slated for demolition and replacement by two new schools. Word of this demolition resulted in an outcry from all of us neighborhood residents. In 2007, the Providence Preservation Society included this school on the Most Endangered Properties list.
We all knew the school was deteriorating but promises of renovations were made throughout the years of restoration and rehabilitation. It is sad to see what the school has become.
In August of 2017, Mayor Jorge Elorza pledged to spend up to $400M on school repairs for Providence schools at a press conference he held in front of Mt. Pleasant High School.
There have been many promises over the years by many city administrations that the schools would be fixed. Most of these renovations and school maintenance were under the jurisdiction of the Public Property Department in City Hall. The problems with decay and deterioration have been well know for many years, at least 30 or more.
How can the children, faculty and employees be expected to learn and work in these conditions? The City administrations over the years have shown little respect for Mount Pleasant High School children, faculty, and school employees. Everyone has turned a blind eye to the problems that have been visible all along. The physical conditions of the building are the foundation for the conditions that give rise to misbehavior, disrespect, low test scores, truancy, absenteeism, and violence in our schools.
The decay of our schools, physically and academically, is a result of the failure of many parties. But the partial demolition of a historically respected building, which the neighbors of Mt. Pleasant love and respect, endangers its past historical value and does not preserve the architectural structure of the building.
We now await a positive sign that change will happen. But it cannot happen without input from the people affected. New ideas, new rules, regulations, and procedures have to be respected as well as carried out. My heart bleeds for my former alma mater, Mt. Pleasant High School, and for a generation of children who have never had or will never know the history and relevance of Mt. Pleasant High School. " One can only hope the changes approved will benefit all the children who attend Mt. Pleasant High school, and it will return to its " old glory days" as we neighbors remember it.
Joanne Giannini is the former State Representative from District 7(Mt pleasant/Elmhurst/Valley Section in Providence) and a freelance writer.