WORCESTER — The old site of Dougherty Memorial High School is undergoing an effort this week to throw out the old and bring in the new.
Excavators, loaders, bulldozers and Bobcat vehicles are in full swing as the demolition of the high school that’s served the community for 58 years gets underway. The demolition of the old school began last week and continued through the weekend.
The new Dougherty’s next door will open in the fall.
As of midday Monday, the main office and the “Dougherty Memorial High School” lettering (and a “Congratulations! Seniors” banner) were still standing, but piles of twisted metal including discarded coat racks, cabinets, school desks and chairs, as well as piles of wood, cardboard and ceiling tiles blocked the first-floor windows.
In the schoolyard, there are two piles of tree roots behind a Jersey fence facing the street.
As construction steadily moves forward, the old school building is turning into a pile of industrial waste while the new $316 million Dougherty Memorial High School just sits there, construction on the new building scheduled to begin in 2021 and open in 2024-2025.
Worcester Public Schools said numerous memorabilia have been salvaged from the old school building and will be auctioned off in the fall to raise funds for the school.
