Bellarmine wins San Jose OK for campus revamp, new academic building

SAN JOSE — Bellarmine College Preparatory has won final city approval for a wide-ranging revamp of the iconic school’s campus in San Jose, a plan that includes a new academic building and renovations of existing structures. The new Wade Academic Center will replace the outdated O’Donnell Hall, originally built as a dormitory in the 1960s and then converted from a dormitory to a classroom building in 1983. “That building (O’Donnell Hall) has been limited in its academic utility,” Brian Adams, vice president, office of advancement at Bellarmine, said in comments he emailed to this news organization.

Officials at the prestigious private Catholic school for boys determined a number of years ago that Bellarmine required a major revamp that included a modern learning center. The work that’s being planned is poised to dramatically reshape the look and feel of the campus. Bellarmine was founded in 1851 and is the oldest secondary school in California.

O’Donnell Hall and Wade Residence Hall will be bulldozed as part of the development and upgrade plan at the 17. 6-acre Jesuit school. In addition, Liccardo Center and Mathewson Hall will be renovated.

It wasn’t immediately clear when the construction might begin on the new Wade education building, which will contain 22 classrooms. The two-story Wade building will total roughly 44,700 square feet, city planning files show. “Wade Academic Center will also feature a new speech and debate hub, providing stellar space reflective of the school’s nationally recognized speech and debate program,” Adams said.

In addition, a new administrative and academic building totaling 23,000 square foot will be constructed after the demolition of O’Donnell Hall is completed. All told, the various expansion and demolition efforts will result in a 40% increase in the square footage of the campus. At present, the Bellarmine College Prep buildings total 347,000 square feet.

After the projects are completed, the buildings on campus are slated to total a combined 487,000 square feet, public records show. “Our new buildings are also LEED designed and constructed, reflecting Bellarmine’s environmental sustainability objectives,” Adams said. Berchmans Hall, a historic building that’s more than a century old, will be relocated on a new foundation across the street from its current location at 870 Elm Street in San Jose.

Originally built in 1916 as a private residence on a site at Stockton Avenue and Taylor Street a few miles from the Bellarmine campus, Berchmans Hall was moved to the school site in 1948, according to a post on the Two Feet Walking Blog website. Berchmans Hall will be used as an admissions and welcome center after the 107-year-old structure is moved across the street to a parking lot. After Wade Hall is demolished, the Jesuits living in that residential building will be moved to a brand-new residence complex at 931 University Avenue.

“The new Jesuit residence is essential to ensuring that there is a Jesuit presence on campus for years to come, which certainly assists in our identity as a Catholic, Jesuit school,” Adams said. Ultimately, however, the far-reaching changes on the campus have the school students foremost in mind. “What matters most is that the new and improved facilities will advance opportunities for our students,” Adams said.

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