Monday, February 27, 2023

Why is Beech Brook selling their property to Heritage Classical Academy?

Selling the property enables Beech Brook to continue pursuing its mission of helping vulnerable children and families thrive. The proceeds from the sale will be added to their endowment to provide funding for more direct services. When Beech Brook put the property on the market in 2016, they were agnostic about its future use. Heritage Classical Academy offered a fair price for the property for a use that fits within current zoning realities. Beech Brook is also encouraged that this property will continue to be used to serve children and families

What is Heritage Classical Academy?

Heritage Classical Academy is a private school that provides classical Christian education to children from preschool through tenth grade. Heritage currently has locations in Bainbridge, Peninsula and Northfield.

How will Heritage Classical Academy use the property?

Heritage intends to purchase the Beech Brook property to establish a new campus, which meets the current zoning of the property.

What will happen to the other campuses?

Heritage intends to establish a new campus to replace the campuses at Bainbridge and Northfield. Heritage will continue to operate at its campus in Peninsula.

What is the timeframe for opening the new campus in Pepper Pike?

Heritage anticipates operating at the new campus in the Fall of 2024.

When is Beech Brook moving?

As part of the agreement, Beech Brook will be allowed to utilize a limited amount of space while they look for a new location.

Where is Beech Brook going?

Beech Brook is actively seeking a new location for its agency’s headquarters, with a focus on one that is closer to more of the population Beech Brook serves and is easily accessible for employees.

How will the sale of the Beech Brook property in Pepper Pike affect services?

The sale of the land will make services easier to perform. Since most staff members work with children and families in their homes, in schools, and in other community settings, their work requires minimal dedicated office space and will allow Beech Brook to move to a smaller, much less expensive administrative headquarters. The annual savings from this relocation, along with the proceeds from the sale of the property, will support many more services to the most vulnerable children and families in the Greater Cleveland area served by Beech Brook.

What services does Beech Brook currently offer in the community?

Beech Brook provides community-based services, which include more than 40 programs across Northeast Ohio. They help more than 8,000 families annually through strong school partnerships, a foster care network and a family center in the city of Cleveland.

Are any of the buildings going to be saved for historical purposes?

Heritage appreciates the historical significance and the beauty of the existing buildings and grounds. They are currently assessing each building and its capability to meet their needs.

How was the land originally used?

In 1917, the land was donated by the Wade family to house an orphanage as the Cleveland Protestant Orphan Asylum that eventually became known as the Beech Brook Children’s Home. The children attended the neighboring Orange Schools.

In the 1950’s, as awareness grew of the need to provide mental health services to the children coming into care, the agency transitioned from an orphanage to a residential treatment center for children with emotional and behavioral problems, and in partnership with Orange Schools, operated the Gund School on the campus.

In 2016, Beech Brook closed its residential treatment cottages, which served about 54 children and teens, to fully focus on community-based programs that strengthen and support children and families.

Did closing Beech Brook’s residential treatment program factor into the need to sell the land?

Yes. Since closing Beech Brook’s residential program, the agency no longer needs the property. Beech Brook is obligated to do what is best for the community’s most vulnerable children and families. Therefore, Beech Brook decided to sell the land and use the proceeds to support its mission.

Was the current sale of the land according to the Wade family’s intent on how it should be used?

The donation of this land in 1917 by the Wade family was not a one-time gift, but part of their ongoing support. Generations of Wade family members served on the Beech Brook Board for well over 130 years and were actively involved in every transition, including the sale of the property built by the family in Cleveland in the 1870s. Astute businesspeople themselves, they understood that the organization must change as the needs of children and families changed and to do that, it must remain financially viable. Today Beech Brook continues to honor that intent by pursuing programs that keep children out of institutions, with their families and by making financially responsible decisions.