A St. Paul Como neighborhood group and school are in the middle of a dispute over balancing a needed school expansion with preserving a piece of history.

The Save Historic St. Andrew’s neighborhood coalition was formed in April after Como residents learned the Twin Cities German Immersion School was considering demolishing the adjacent St. Andrew’s church, at 1051 Como Ave., to construct a new wing of the school.

School officials say it needs the additional space to accommodate its class sizes, which are almost all at capacity.

In May, the school halted its plan to tear down the church after neighborhood residents raised concerns about demolishing the historic and cultural value of the 1927 church.

The group claims the school did not conduct “sufficient” community outreach, address a possible character impact on the neighborhood or consider the importance of the church to the community.

Anna Mosser, a member of SHSA, said most group members have never before advocated for the preservation of a building.

“It’s not just a group of disgruntled neighbors trying to stop (development),” Mosser said. “We’re a group that cares about residential, historic preservation.”

According to the group, St. Andrew’s was designed by a “small pool of excellent 1920s architects,” but is unsure who built the church. The church was active until 2010 when it was decommissioned. In 2013, the German immersion school moved into the church and its adjacent school building.

Ted Anderson, executive director of TCGIS, said school officials waited to reach out to the community because it wanted “something substantive” to share.

Now, he said the school is working to find a middle ground with the neighborhood group and is “very seriously” looking at a different location instead of the church.

“It’s my job to provide the best education to these kids as I can,” Anderson said. “Our priority can’t be historic preservation.”

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St. Paul schools superintendent gets high marks, but board wants progress on equity, enrollment, student achievement The school needs additional space for its approximately 550 students, as well as a new gym, Anderson said. The gym they use, which is in the church, is “downright dangerous” with its marble pillars and lower-wall coverings, he said.

A new gym, cafeteria, offices and four to six classrooms are included in the school’s proposed building plan, Anderson said.

Casey Doyle, a neighbor with two students at the school and a special education teacher at a different school, said increasing space is “what’s right for the kids.”

The school’s special education department, including a speech pathologist, occupational therapist and case manager, all share one space in the church basement, Doyle said.

“When I come in and see the special (education) setup, it breaks my heart. It’s awful. The space is needed for the kids,” she said.

Following a June 12 TCGIS facilities committee meeting, Mosser said she believes school officials are “legitimately pursuing” an expansion at a different location in St. Paul.

Regardless, she said the group intends to move forward with its campaign. This includes a GoFundMe fundraiser to obtain a historic preservation designation for the church, which has raised nearly half of its $10,000 goal as of Friday.

“We believe that (St. Andrews) represents an important piece of St. Paul heritage,” Mosser said.

John Forliti grew up 50 feet from the church and still lives in the same house across the street. As a retired priest whose family has been in the neighborhood for nearly 100 years, he said the church’s architectural, cultural and societal impact “would never be rebuilt.”

“It’s been an anchor and a symbol of stability, a symbol of the immigrants who built it,” Forliti said. “It’s just kind of a symbol of what you can accomplish with the American dream.”

Along with his family’s “intimate” connection with the church through marriages, baptisms and funerals, Forliti said the church is also important to the parish that was once housed there. The parish merged with the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish in 2010. “There are deep roots in the parish [to the church],” he said.

He said he hopes a compromised can be reached with the school that doesn’t involve removing the church.

In May, the school board tabled a vote to approve the church construction plan because they’ve found a new site they’re interested in, Anderson said.

Discussions regarding the future of the school and church will continue at the next school board meeting on June 28.