Archdiocese sells historic ‘Prendie’ building in Drexel Hill to Delaware County Community College

The Archbishop Prendergast building was "underutilized," the school president said. The building will be a future campus for Delaware County Community College

by Stephanie Lai

Published Sep. 13, 2019, 6:05 p.m. ET

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has sold the historic Archbishop Prendergast High School building in Drexel Hill to Delaware County Community College, it was announced Friday.

The building will serve as a future campus on a portion of the 30-acre site that currently hosts the Monsignor Bonner & Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School, according to a news release from the archdiocese. The purchase price was not disclosed.

In 2012, the all-female Prendergast and the all-male Bonner student bodies were consolidated into a newer building, and since then the “Prendie” building has been “underutilized,” said John E. Cooke, the schools’ president.

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The archdiocese bought the historic building from the Drexel family in 1917. It originally was constructed as an orphanage that opened in 1920, according to the news release, and became a high school in 1953.

Delaware County Community College hopes to use the acquisition as an opportunity to further collaborate with the high school, according to the news release.

The two institutions already work together to provide dual enrollment, a program that allows high school students to earn college credits.

Since 1967, the college has served more than 23,000 students online and at their seven locations in Delaware and Chester Counties.

“This is a great opportunity for the College to provide Delaware County residents with high quality, affordable education and training that is conveniently located, easily accessible and responsive to the needs of the community,” Joy Gates Black, president of Delaware County Community College, is quoted as saying in the release.