Boston seeks to open another public school downtown

By James Vaznis, Globe Staff

Mayor Thomas M. Menino will announce tomorrow his intention to purchase a building in the North End that formerly housed Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign headquarters as the site for a new school in downtown Boston.

The purchase of 585 Commercial St. would bring the total number of elementary and K-8 schools in the vicinity of the downtown to five, covering a swath of the city that extends through the North End, Chinatown, and the South End.

The building – subject to approval from the Boston City Council and the School Committee – initially would be used to house several grades from the Eliot K-8 School in the North End while a second campus for that school is renovated so it can accommodate more students, city officials said.

Once the Eliot project is completed, the city would then renovate 585 Commercial St. into a new school for approximately 500 students in kindergarten through grade 8. The new school is expected to open in September 2016.