Framingham, MA According to Metrowest Commercial Real Estate, Cheryl Tully Stoll and Marlene Aron have brokered the sale of former Marian High School located at 273 Union Ave. and 5 Thurber St. for $2.6 million. Owned by the Archdiocese of Boston, the property served the community as a catholic high school for over six decades before closing in 2018 due to declining enrollment. The buyer, a new non-profit educational corporation, named Invictus Forever, seeks to achieve greater community integration of children and adults with disabilities. The 3.2 acre two building campus has views of Learned Pond. The four-level school building contains 98,000 s/f including an 850 seat auditorium, a cafeteria and a gymnasium. The three-story convent building, which was once occupied by the Framingham Heart Study, is 16,000 s/f.

According to the brokers, the initial marketing of the property was for a 99 year land lease, but the market demand was for a purchase. The sale was managed through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process and most of the bids were for residential condominium or apartment conversion.

“While this was not the highest priced offer; the educational use Invictus proposed, was a wonderful homage to the history of the property and to the legacy of the thousands of past students who launched their futures from Marian,” said lead broker, Stoll. “I think we were able to find a very fitting re-use of the beloved high school.” Aron, co-listing broker, said, “As it turned out, Cheryl and I were able to guide the seller to achieve the best possible outcome for itself and for the community.”

Carolyn Langer, MD, the company’s president said, “Preserving and adapting the existing high school building, Invictus will offer a state-of-the-art life skills development center focused on innovative educational, vocational, life skills, and community access programs; as well as a robust initiative focused on workforce development.”