Arthur Voaden secondary school has shut its doors after nearly a century. Here’s what you need to know about this historic St. Thomas building and what might happen next for the site.
WHY IS ARTHUR VOADEN CLOSING?
The Thames Valley District school board announced in April that Arthur Voaden secondary school, which opened in 1926, would close in June due to what it called “unsustainable” repair costs.
They stated that the “difficult decision” followed an extensive review by the board and the Ministry of Education.
Students who were supposed to attend Arthur Voaden will move to other schools in the fall while a new $44-million replacement school for about 700 students is built.
WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THE SCHOOL?
It’s unclear what will happen to the property owned by the school board, which is set to be sold pending approval from the Ministry of Education, according to the board.
“Identifying any future use for the site would be the responsibility of the new owner,” said the board in an emailed statement.
The City of St. Thomas mentioned it had no updates regarding future plans for 41 Flora St.
WHAT HAVE OTHER FORMER SCHOOLS BECOME?
No plans have been revealed yet for this historic school, but there have been successful initiatives and proposals to repurpose former schools in St. Thomas.
Just under a kilometer away, Balaclava Street public school is being converted into 78 supportive housing units through a partnership between the City of St. Thomas and Indwell, a charity from Hamilton that specializes in supportive housing development.
This project will create 36 units within the existing structure while an additional 42 units will be added through new construction. The aim is to provide supports that help residents maintain their health, housing, and independence.
In May, St. Thomas called on “qualified developers, investors and community partners” to submit proposals for potentially purchasing and adapting the former Wellington Street public school property located at Wellington and Elgin streets.
The expression of interest outlines possible uses for that site including mixed-use developments, residential housing, and commercial spaces.
The deadline for submissions is July 15.
Fencing blocks access at Arthur Voaden secondary school in St. Thomas on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (Geoff Robins/The )
WHAT DO NEIGHBORS WANT?
A couple of residents living near Arthur Voaden expressed a preference for keeping it as a school; however, one former student supports converting it into affordable housing instead.
Stuart Thomson, 46, has lived nearby Arthur Voaden for four years.
He described the closure as “a little disappointing,” noting his oldest child graduated from there last year. He hopes to see another school built on this site instead.
Arthur Voaden is “the perfect spot” for a new educational facility, Thomson remarked.
“They’re saying it’s already not economical to renovate according to what both the board and city have stated,” he explained. “Demo it, use the land again, and build another brand-new school right there downtown.”
Katie Kitzman was walking along Flora Street with her six-year-old daughter Violet and four-year-old son Easton when The Free Press spoke with her Wednesday.
Kitzman, 32 also preferred having a school on that property. She mentioned Easton’s autism diagnosis would have made attending Arthur Voaden beneficial for him because of its special education program.
“They had a special ed program here which I don’t know if other high schools around here offer,”Kitzman said.“But that was huge for me because I’m like he’s literally down the road. We can walk him to this program.”
She added that while constructing a new facility takes time,
“it would have been great”
if it could’ve happened on Arthur Voaden’s grounds.
Jennifer Crawford,,53b graduated from Arthur Voaden herself and recently returned to live nearby.
Her father,,sibling and son also went there,.. While she feels sad about its closure,Crawford hopes the building can become housing:cge-.
“I’m goingto missthebuilding”,”I’m goingto missthememories(because) it’s agreatlandmark.”Crawfordshared.”I’dlove… )<rpt<spanspanll keep'"
having affordablehousingfor everyone.”
Source link
