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Officials at the Baltimore Lab School realized the old building at 2220 St. Paul St. had all the criteria they wanted: It looked like a castle. It sat squarely in a city neighborhood. Its $1.5 million purchase price proved as affordable as the rent they were paying on it.
The private school, whose 130 students work to overcome learning disabilities, recently bought the old Goucher Hall, a landmark granite structure that was Goucher College's main academic structure before the school moved to Towson. School officials, parents and benefactors celebrated the purchase Tuesday night with a reception inside the 1887 building, where students learn in a colorful assemblage of classrooms linked by large Victorian-era staircases.
"The building epitomized what the Lab School of Baltimore stands for," said Dick Meltzer, its head of school. "We wanted to remain committed to the city of Baltimore."
The Lab School, which is affiliated with the Lab School of Washington, was founded in 1967 by Sally Smith, a charismatic educator who had become frustrated with her son's performance in traditional schools. Colleagues said she was determined to instill a love of learning in students who had been stymied at traditional schools.
After initially holding classes at Port Discovery and in Roland Park, administrators had hopes of taking over the old Northern District police station in Hampden but encountered community opposition.
They found Goucher Hall, which at one time was used by the Red Cross and later by the Hearing and Speech Agency's Gateway School, and began renting the building in 2004.
The building the school bought last month retains much of its 19th-century character, including a richly paneled library that doubles as the computer lab. Many administrators' rooms retain their original fireplaces and mantels.
The private school, whose 130 students work to overcome learning disabilities, recently bought the old Goucher Hall, a landmark granite structure that was Goucher College's main academic structure before the school moved to Towson. School officials, parents and benefactors celebrated the purchase Tuesday night with a reception inside the 1887 building, where students learn in a colorful assemblage of classrooms linked by large Victorian-era staircases.
"The building epitomized what the Lab School of Baltimore stands for," said Dick Meltzer, its head of school. "We wanted to remain committed to the city of Baltimore."
The Lab School, which is affiliated with the Lab School of Washington, was founded in 1967 by Sally Smith, a charismatic educator who had become frustrated with her son's performance in traditional schools. Colleagues said she was determined to instill a love of learning in students who had been stymied at traditional schools.
After initially holding classes at Port Discovery and in Roland Park, administrators had hopes of taking over the old Northern District police station in Hampden but encountered community opposition.
They found Goucher Hall, which at one time was used by the Red Cross and later by the Hearing and Speech Agency's Gateway School, and began renting the building in 2004.
The building the school bought last month retains much of its 19th-century character, including a richly paneled library that doubles as the computer lab. Many administrators' rooms retain their original fireplaces and mantels.
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