The building originally held corpses awaiting cremation or burial. Now its halls are teeming with life. Finger paintings, rainbows and other displays of childhood artwork adorn the classrooms and nurseries.

All this will soon be gone.

In a matter of a few months the Childgarden School, originally built in 1920, will undergo yet another change.

On Jan. 22, 1999 the owners approached University president Lawrence Biondi, S.J. with the intent to sell the building. Their goal was to get out of property ownership. Apparently the maintenance was becoming a financial burden.

According to Melinda Ohlemiller, MA, Director of Early Childhood Services, the organization wants to enter lease-only contracts from now on.

In 1988 the Saint Louis Association for Retarded Citizens (SARC) bought the building. The SARC is the parent company that owns, operates and manages Childgarden. The school, which offers regular early childhood as well as special-needs programs, serves families from all over the city.

The relocation site is still unknown. The board of directors is currently conducting a study for the best location that will still accommodate the majority of students and their parents. Its current location is helpful for many parents who work in metropolitan downtown or the surrounding businesses that dot the neighborhood.

“We’ll try to stay close by so as not to lose anybody,” Ohlemiller said. The results will be released sometime in January.

Saint Louis University has also taken advantage of the location. SLU students have used the facility as a training center.

Physical therapy students, speech pathologists, education majors and social workers have volunteered, interned or worked for the Childgarden School.

“SLU has been great to us. We hope to keep close ties with SLU, no matter where we go,” Ohlemiller said.

Childgarden’s plans concerning downsizing or expansion are still undetermined. Those goals will be stated in January when the new location is announced.

“We’ve made good use of the building as far as space goes, but they want to move and make improvements,” Ohlemiller said.

However, one goal is for certain. Ohlemiller would like to see the enrollment increase.

The Childgarden School building has gone from death to life to uncertainty. In just a few short months, perhaps, SLU will be able to provide a little stability.