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St. James school demolition begins in Arlington Heights

Demolition of the 91-year-old former St. James Parish school building in Arlington Heights has begun, as part of a $10.5 million project to expand the church and add parking.

A construction excavator began picking apart the three-story brick school building from the rear of the property on Monday.

It hasn't been used by students for about a decade, since an addition was built on St. James' junior high school on the other side of Arlington Heights Road. The building had been used in recent years as a group meeting space and for storage, but it stood in the way of the parish's expansion plans, which include additions to the 66-year-old church building and a larger parking lot.

The church is being expanded with additions on the south and east sides, allowing seating to increase from about 500 to more than 900; a larger first-floor lobby; more lower-level multipurpose/meeting space; and an elevator. Many of the upgrades were planned with an eye toward making the worship space handicapped-accessible, officials said.

The parking lot will have about 50 more spaces, for a total of 185. St. James also purchased two single-family homes at its southern property line to make way for a larger parking lot and a new stormwater detention area.

The village board approved variations for the project in January.

The church renovations, as part of the parish's Open Our Hearts in Welcome campaign, are being funded by nearly $5 million in pledges received, $4.1 million in pledges still to come, and $1.2 million in parish funds, according to the church.

Officials anticipate construction could take a year. In the meantime, Masses are being held in the parish center gym across the street.

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  Crews start demolition work Monday on the 91-year-old former St. James Parish school building in Arlington Heights. Plans calls for expansion of the neighboring church building and a bigger parking lot. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
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