UPDATED Surplus school buildings sold at auction

*This article was updated on 11/2/22

The historic West and East school buildings of Wareham will be repurposed under new ownership. Both school buildings were sold at auction on Thursday, Oct. 27. The closing date for the sales of the properties is Nov. 21.

Patricia A.McArdle & Associates, PC, was the highest bidder for the West Wareham School, while the South Shore Community Action Council was the highest bidder for the East Wareham School. Both Auctions were held by Zekos Group Auctioneers.

According to Paul Zekos, President of Zekos Group Auctioneers, the Town of Wareham retained the school buildings and declared them as surplus property prior to the auction. Both schools have been closed for more than 10 years. The construction of new school buildings led to the closure of the old schools.

Town Administrator Derek Sullivan considered the sales successful. The East Wareham School sold for $500,000, while the West Wareham school sold for $400,000. Combined with the separate sale of .75 acres of land at 56 Carver Road, the auction resulted in $1.5 million in town real estate funds.

McArdle, a Wareham native who operates a law office in Mattapoisett and a co-owner of BOLD Reality, has previously renovated the historic Grange Hall in Mattapoisett into condominiums. She says that she hopes to turn the West Wareham School building into housing.

“There are no official plans yet, but with the current housing crisis, housing is on the top of my list,” said McArdle.

As for the East Wareham School, the building will be used as a permanent location for The South Shore Early Education program according to CEO Lisa Spencer. Currently, The South Shore Early Education program is located at 314 Onset Avenue. The currant location is soon to become the Oak Grove Cape Verdean Cultural Center.

“With out anticipated purchase of the East Wareham School, we are deepening our commitment to the town’s most vulnerable children and families,” said Spencer.

In 1920, the closure of the Washington West Wareham school resulted in the construction of the West Wareham School, according to Wareham Historical Society President Angela Dunham.

McArdle plans to preserve as much of the historic building as possible.

“I love old historical buildings,” McArdle said. “I don’t want to change the exterior at all and the interior has beautiful framework. I want to keep it in as great condition as possible.”

McArdle said she wants the community to feel involved with the project. She started a Facebook page called West Wareham School Project with the goal of sharing old pictures and memories of the school building.