St. Peter's Prep will renovate Burke Hall into a science education building

By The Jersey Journal
November 12, 2009, 9:29AM

St. Peter's Prep is transforming Burke Hall into a state-of-the-art science education building.

The $10 million renovation is the first phase of a long-term master plan that includes every facility at the 6-acre Downtown Jersey City campus on Grand Street.

The private school's Board of Trustees approved the master plan June 22.

It calls for a large multi-purpose space in the York Street parking lot; renovating Mulry Hall and Hogan Hall; reconfiguring the Jesuit residence; constructing a new academic building on York Street; and converting the upper floors in the Humanities Building to office space. The project is expected to take 12 to 15 years.

"The proposed phasing of the various projects over many years allows the school to execute projects and phases only when adequate funding is available for each step," said Board Chairman John Caulfield, a 1971 graduate.

The school has already raised $6.8 million of the $10 million needed for the first phase.

The renovation work is expected to start late next year and conclude in summer 2011.

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Burke Hall renovation is first project at Prep

Thursday, November 12, 2009
By MELISSA HAYES
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

St. Peter's Prep is transforming Burke Hall into a state-of-the-art science education building.

The $10 million renovation is the first phase of a long-term master plan that includes every facility at the 6-acre Downtown Jersey City campus on Grand Street.
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The private school's Board of Trustees approved the master plan June 22.

It calls for a large multi-purpose space in the York Street parking lot; renovating Mulry Hall and Hogan Hall; reconfiguring the Jesuit residence; constructing a new academic building on York Street; and converting the upper floors in the Humanities Building to office space. The project is expected to take 12 to 15 years.

"The proposed phasing of the various projects over many years allows the school to execute projects and phases only when adequate funding is available for each step," said Board Chairman John Caulfield, a 1971 graduate.

The school has already raised $6.8 million of the $10 million needed for the first phase.

Burke Hall, an all-purpose academic building, would be renovated to include seven new laboratories and other science classrooms.

The three-story building sits at the corner of York and Warren streets and would also get a new main entrance from Warren Street to improve the flow of pedestrian traffic.

The plan cites the school's hundreds of graduates in science-related fields and inadequate science classrooms as reasons for the upgrade. The existing labs are 44 years old and the science classrooms are 67 years old.

In preparation for the Burke Hall renovations, St. Peter's Church, which the school owns, is being converted into a student cafeteria and multi-purpose space. The church was consolidated and closed in the spring.

The renovation work is expected to start late next year and conclude in summer 2011.