Demolition of old East Providence High School to begin next week

July 28, 2021 10:17 am

Amanda Pitts,

This is a file image of East Providence High School. (WLNE)

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – The demolition of the former East Providence High School will begin next week as the brand new state-of-the-art high school is set to open in September.

Demolition for Phase 1 of the former high school is set to start at 8 a.m. on Monday, August 2, and will take approximately three days.

According to property managers, crews will start tearing down the “new” wing of the old building and will return later in the year to tear down the original building.

The contractor, Gilbane Inc., will be starting in the northwest corner of the building (closest to Pawtucket Avenue) and will start with the demolition of the roof.

No visitors will be allowed on-site. Onlookers are asked to watch from the shopping plaza across the street.

The old high school building was constructed in 1952 and has been deteriorating for many years.

At a press conference outside of the new building in April, East Providence Superintendent Kathryn Crowley said she was told by inspectors that the old building was operating on “a wing and a prayer.”

“(The old high school) had heating issues, it had mechanical issues, it had electrical issues,” Crowley said.

The city broke ground on the new high school in June of 2019 after residents voted the previous year to build the $190 million school on the same property as the old school.

East providence anticipates receiving $102.8 million from the state through the school construction program to help fund the cost of building the new high school.

The new school spans over 300,000 square feet and will be able to hold 1600 students. It features 45 classrooms, two greenhouses, ten state-of-the-art science labs, interactive learning centers, and high-tech security measures.