Second Street Elementary School at 400 North Second St. in Bay St. Louis. The building has about 56,000 square feet and the property is 3.85 acres. A New Orleans developer is buying the school for redevelopment.
BAY ST. LOUIS New Orleans developer Jim MacPhaille says it’s too early to say what the vintage Second Street Elementary School will become when he takes ownership in early August.
Based on conversations with neighbors and city officials, he guesses the property likely will be turned into a hotel or a condo hotel. With offices and shops and a theater. Maybe a fine dining restaurant.
But before anything is decided, he’s got to make sure the neighbors and the city are on board with the plans.
“Every time I’m in town I’m asking people, what would you like to see? Nobody says apartments. They say condos or a hotel.”
The whole process of restoring the building will take 12 to 18 months. He’s basing the timeline on his ongoing restoration of an old school building in New Orleans.
“It’s so early in the game,” MacPhaille said Monday. “We’ll come up with some scenarios and present them to the neighbors and the powers that be and see what everybody likes.”
One consideration that’s not on the table is tearing the historic building down.
“There’s nothing wrong with it,” he said. “It’s bullet proof. I never even thought about it.”
I loved the gym in that building. Seating was raised so you never had to worry about a basketball player falling in your lap. Actually, it was the high school at one point, I believe. So glad someone is going to do something with it. I pass it every day, and I’m happy to hear someone has plans for it.
It will be great to see this fine old building restored. And I remember the gym, too.
As a business owner in Hancock County the biggest thing that businesses are most in need of is upscale short term rentals. I hope it is the first of many condo or boutique hotel projects coming to Hancock County.
I have such fond memories of this beautiful building… I am happy to see that someone is going to restore it and make it alive again. I know that I will want to stay there when we come to visit the Bay?