Fifteen months after its closure, the building that housed North Catholic High School for 84 years was sold to a charter school.
The Marianna Bracetti Academy Charter School last week purchased the building at 1842 Torresdale Ave. from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for $3.5 million.
Bracetti opened in 2000 and serves 1,155 students in grades six to 12. Its present location is 2501 Kensington Ave.
About 65 percent of the school’s families live in the nearby 19124, 19134 and 19140 ZIP codes.
“We underwent a thorough process to select a new home, and we are excited to move into a site with such a rich history,” said Virginia Neiswender, chairwoman of the school’s board of trustees.
Students and staff will remain in the current building for this school year. Meanwhile, renovations will take place at the former North building, which opened in 1926, in anticipation of opening next September.
The archdiocese closed North Catholic and Cardinal Dougherty in June 2010, citing dwindling enrollment. The Dougherty property has not yet been sold. ••
