The Preservation League of New York State has selected the St. Paul’s School, Garden City as one of its 2003 Seven to Save endangered properties. The Seven to Save announcement cites its “High Victorian Gothic design” and the lack of local commitment to develop a viable reuse plan. The school was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 as part of the “A .T. Stewart Era Buildings” listing. One of the buildings built as a memorial to department store magnate Alexander Turney Stewart in 1879, designed by Edward H. Harris, the AIA Architectural Guide to Nassau and Suffolk Counties notes some of its important elements: “Poly chromatic voussoir arched windows, elaborate cast-iron balustrades, and Dorchester stone trim.”

Previously owned by the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, the building was sold to the Incorporated Village of Garden City in 1993. Recently the village held a public hearing to consider several alternatives, ranging from those that use most of a restored building for library and community space to demolition and replacement. More than 300 attended the hearing, which lasted well into the night. Preservationists have cited the irretrievable loss of
some of Garden City’s most architecturally significant buildings, including the Garden City Hotel demolished in 1972, in emphasizing the importance of preserving St. Paul’s School.