I guess you could call this one “Separated at Birth.” There’s been an interesting new development for the recently closed Elm Street Middle School in Nashua. The impressive but aging structure is now empty.
Students and teachers will enter the doors of the new Brian S. McCarthy Middle School (DiAntonio Dr.) when classes open on Tuesday, Aug.
27. Several proposals had been tossed around for the old school that sits on an approximately nine-acre site (downtown-south), right off Main Street. It’s near a shopping center, banks and dining establishments.
It’s a fantastic location. One of the most interesting ideas came from Rivier University proposing to build up its varsity ice hockey program with a home rink (and another rink) and locker room facility on the southwest corner of the property. I haven’t heard anything since.
Many folks are nostalgic about the landmark building and concerned about what finally goes in there or even if the structure will be razed. And others are worried about Edmund Keefe Auditorium which is “attached” to the sprawling brick building and fear its ultimate demise. The latest news from the new Keefe Auditorium Commission is that the auditorium portion of the school must be separated from the main school building.
It is now considered a “stand-alone building.” Let’s say a potential buyer wants to purchase the auditorium; city officials announced that the structure could only be redeveloped as a modern theater venue. More than 900 .