The Archdiocese of Hartford has purchased a former Hartford office building at 765 Asylum Ave. for a new Catholic school that will mark the return of Catholic education to the city after a decade-long absence.
The Archdiocese of Hartford has purchased a former Hartford office building at 765 Asylum Ave. for a new Catholic school that will mark the return of Catholic education to the city after a decade-long absence.
The three-story building, adjacent to the Cathedral of St. Joseph, was sold to the archdiocese’s Hartford Catholic School Project Inc. by WH Post Realty LLC, which is controlled by Kenneth S. Ginsberg of West Haven.
The $1.5 million sale was recorded on Sept. 19, according to a land record. WH Post purchased the property for a little over $1 million in 2001.
The half-acre site includes a 29,792-square-foot brick building with 62 parking spaces.
The building will be renovated and reopened as the Catholic Academy of Hartford in fall 2026, Archbishop Christopher J. Coyne announced earlier this month.
"I simply could not accept that our state capital, and the geographic and spiritual center of our archdiocese, did not have a school to form our young people," Coyne said.
Hartford has not had a Catholic school operating within its borders since St. Augustine School closed at the end of the 2015-16 school year.
The new Catholic Academy of Hartford will initially welcome city students in pre-kindergarten through second grade, with plans to add one grade each year until reaching eighth grade.
The planned renovations include creating classrooms on the upper floors and a multi-purpose room in the basement. New exterior signage and a cross have already been erected.
Valerie Mara, superintendent of Catholic schools for the archdiocese, said the school will operate on a "just” tuition model with Hartford families paying on a sliding scale according to their ability to pay. The school intends to serve Hartford residents first, regardless of their faith tradition.
The archbishop noted the timing was favorable for the investment, citing increases in Mass attendance, religious vocations and Catholic school enrollment across the archdiocese.
Most archdiocesan schools have waiting lists, Coyne noted.
Development initiatives and fundraising for the Catholic Academy of Hartford are currently underway.
