Excel Academy Finalizes Bremen Street Site Purchase

Excel Academy has finalized its purchase of the former Paul’s Park and Fly site, the last of the park and fly companies that once dotted Bremen Street. Excel paid $2,957,916 for the land according to the published real estate transfer and will transform the site into a new middle/high school.

Paul’s Park and Fly has been demolished to make room for the new school building that will open in 2015.

In March 2014 the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) approved Excel Academy’s $25 million plans to build a new middle/high school facility near the Bremen Street Park adjacent to the new East Boston Branch Library.

Founding head of the widely successful charter school, Nina Keough, said that students currently in 8th grade will be guaranteed a seat in Excel’s new high school next year.

According to plans, the school plans to build a 70,000 sq. ft. facility consisting of 35 classrooms for grades 9-12 at the site located at 413 Bremen St., which is currently a parking lot. The new two-acre campus will include the main building, community rooms, a cafeteria, gymnasium, office space, and support space. The project also includes a 30-car pick up and drop off area, a dedicated bus pull off area, a 50-space parking lot for faculty and visitors, and a 24,100 square foot outdoor student courtyard.

The proposed facility would also allow Excel to house its third middle school, currently located on Saratoga Street near CVS. Excel Academy plans to relocate its students at the Orient Heights middle school (Grades 5-8) operations at 1150 Saratoga Street with approximately 224 students to the project site. In addition the project will house approximately 672 high school students (Grades 9-12) for a total enrollment of 896 students.

Of the project Excel CEO Owen Stearns has commented that after 10 great years serving middle school students in Eastie and Chelsea, the school and staff are thrilled to have the possibility of launching a high school and serving even more students. Stearns has said the Bremen Street location is an ideal spot due to its proximity to Eastie’s new library and accessible to public transportation.

Stearns added that Excel is looking forward to working productively with the surrounding community throughout the development process.

For the last six years, Excel’s students have ranked number one in Massachusetts on the MCAS and currently 79 percent of Excel’s college-age graduates are still persisting in college.

Excel Academy Charter Schools, Inc and Studio G Architects are developing the project. The project will create 70 construction jobs and 105 permanent jobs.

Construction crews finish demolishing Paul’s Park and Fly on Bremen Street to make room for Excel Academy Charter School’s new middle/high school.

An architectural drawing of the new school on Bremen Street.

John Lynds can be reached at [email protected]