Boston College will make an offer
on archdiocesan land
The University hopes to purchase 27.6 acres of
land that the Boston Archdiocese has put up for sale in Brighton. The
archdiocese announced its intention to sell in early December, part
of its effort to pay an $84 million settlement reached with victims
of clergy sexual abuse.
The property occupies a portion of the large block
of land stretching along Commonwealth Avenue between Foster and Lake
streets. It is adjacent to Boston College's honors housing in
Greycliff Hall and less than a five-minute walk from the University's
lower campus. The sale includes the three-story mansion built by Cardinal
William O'Connell in the 1920s, which has been used as a residence
by the last four archbishops. (Archbishop Sean O'Malley, a Capuchin
friar who was installed in the position last July, has opted for quarters
in the rectory at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, in Boston's
South End.) The residence and available land together recently were
assessed at nearly $14 million by the City of Boston. St. John's
Seminary and the chancery, which houses archdiocesan offices, also occupy
the block and are not for sale.
According to Jack Dunn, the University's
director of public affairs, "Boston College is committed to making
an offer for the property that is reflective of the value of the land
and that will help the Archdiocese of Boston to reach its settlement
obligations.
"The University has a pronounced need for
open space for recreational purposes that could be addressed through
this property," says Dunn, who notes that if the land were sold
to developers, the impact on the Brighton neighborhood might be substantial.
"We share the same concerns as any other neighbor regarding development
proposals and hope that our connection to the Archdiocese of Boston
as a Catholic university will enable us to keep the land within the
Church."
Public affairs staff
Graphic: The Boston Archdiocese's Brighton property
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