The former Pennings High School building on the St. Norbert College campus in De Pere is being demolished, December 19, 2023. PC: Fox 11 Online
DE PERE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Demolition of the former Pennings High School has started, as St. Norbert College gets ready for a new home for its business college.
The building at Third and Reid streets began in 1923 as Nicolet High School and was part of the West De Pere School District. In 1959, it became Abbot Penning High School, a Catholic school operated by the Norbertines. After its closure in 1990, the college has used it to house a variety of offices.
The plan for the site is construction of the Donald J. Schneider School of Business & Economics, which should open in time for classes in the fall of 2025.
St. Norbert College president Laurie Joyner says, as the demolition process continues for the next few weeks, crews are making sure they are preserving pieces of building’s history.
“Our facilities staff have done a remarkable job; A: Making sure that we’re following all the best practices in terms of sustainability but also being really careful to memorialize the building’s history,” she said. “We have taken great care to repurpose the owls on the exterior of the building, some of the wooden floors in the gym, some of the lighting and all of that will be incorporated into the design of the new building.”
The 45,000-square-foot, multi-use facility will include classrooms and workspaces designed for contemporary learning, space for executive education and conferencing opportunities, and a connected terrace. It will house the college’s undergraduate and graduate business and economics programs, including data analytics and a new sports management program. The facility will also be home to SNC’s Center for Exceptional Leadership.
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