Port parish sells historic St. Mary’s School

Local businessmen buy 103-year-old building and parish center for $220,000 for possible residential development

ST. MARY’S SCHOOL and the parish center to the right were purchased from St. John XXIII Catholic Parish last week by John Weinrich and Mike Enright. Photo by Sam Arendt
By 
KRISTYN HALBIG ZIEHM
Ozaukee Press staff

The former St. Mary’s School and Parish Center in Port Washington were purchased last week by John Weinrich and Mike Enright.

Weinrich, who owns several buildings in the city, said he and Enright, a builder, purchased the buildings from St. John XXIII Parish for $220,000 on Friday, Dec. 4.

Weinrich said the duo doesn’t have any plans for the buildings yet, but they hope to create a residential development there.

“That’s what the idea is,” he said. “But there are a million ideas out there. I think after the holidays we’ll sit down and work on this.”

Weinrich said that the parish will retain some items from the buildings, such as the stained glass windows in the parish center.

“We’re confident John and Mike are going to do right by those buildings, by St. John XXIII and by the neighborhood,” Bill Henkle, pastoral coordinator for St. John XXIII Parish, said.

It’s been a long journey for the parish, Henkle said, noting the property has been on the sale block for five years.

The parish decided to sell the property in 2015 and first listed it for $995,000, ultimately agreeing to sell it to Ansay Development for $695,000. 

But Ansay, which had planned to convert the buildings into apartments, announced last fall that it was dropping the project, saying it was not financially viable. 

Henkle said the parish lowered the price, which attracted someone who wanted to turn the buildings into an assisted living center. However, he said, it didn’t take long before they came to the same conclusion as Ansay and dropped out.

The parish had a study done of the environmental hazards that included an estimate of the cost of razing the school, Henkle said. Officials were shocked at the $440,000 estimate, he said.

The potential developer then offered the parish $1 for the property, saying they would raze the buildings and sell the land for a residential development.

At that point, Henkle said, the parish decided to embark on “the old fire sale or bargain basement approach” to the sale, setting the price at $199,000 and approaching local people who had expressed interest in buying just the parish center to see if they were interested.

The parish received four offers, and it got competitive, Henkle said. It came down to two finalists, and Weinrich prevailed.

“The Finance Council was most comfortable with John,” Henkle said, noting Weinrich is a lifelong parish member who was agreeable to all the parish’s contingencies. 

Weinrich, who owned and operated Newport Shores restaurant on Port Washington’s lakefront for 31 years and partnering with Ansay Development on its Newport Shores development, said he wanted to see some decisions made about the future of the site.

“It needed some finality,” Weinrich said. “It’s been a long time coming for the parish. It just needed to happen.”

He acknowledged that the buildings bring challenges, adding, “We might not break even.” 

For now, Weinrich said, he’s exploring the former school, finding the places he frequented as a student there decades ago.

“It’s the first time you can run through the halls without being hollered at,” he said. “I never owned a gym before —I can play basketball whenever I want. My sister wants to roller blade down the halls.”

St. Mary’s School closed in June 2019.

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