New London — A local historic preservation group has begun gathering evidence to support its stance that a State Street building tentatively slated to be demolished to make way for a performing arts magnet school should be saved.

New London Landmarks Executive Director Constance Kristofik said the organization discovered that the 309 State St. building in question, known as the Mercer Building, is included on a list of 180 sites or structures spread across the downtown that were collectively designated as the “Downtown New London National Register District,” on the National Register of Historic Places.

Additionally, the building was designed by prominent New London architect Dudley St. Clair Donnelly, who designed the ISAAC School building on Governor Winthrop Boulevard, the Manwaring Building at 225 State St. and the building now housing Citizens Bank on Eugene O’Neill Drive, among others.

Steve Sigel, executive director of the Garde Arts Center which owns the Mercer Building, said the Garde is working with the New London school district to bring a performing arts magnet school to the site, along with a 250-seat theater along Meridian Street.

According to both Sigel and New London School Superintendent Manuel Rivera, the school space needed to make the plan happen may require the Mercer Building, along with the adjacent Meridian Building on Meridian Street, to come down in favor of a new building.

Sigel met Thursday with the New London Landmarks board of directors, where he reiterated that any plans to take down structures on State and Meridian streets are in the preliminary stages.

“There is no professional study that has been done on construction for this project,” he said.

The state approved the school system’s $31 million request to build the school several years ago, but a key component, an operations plan, has yet to be presented to the state agencies that would make the final decision to release funding.

Sigel said the idea of bringing school students to study next to a working theater is a groundbreaking idea that shows promise. It is also a complicated process, however, to spend state school construction funds at a site owned by a private, nonprofit entity. Sigel said the Garde would provide a long-term lease to the city under an agreement in place.

Kristofik said Thursday's board meeting was the first since news of the plan became public, and the agency intends to speak with Rivera.

She said the board may have suggestions for the school district about ways to reuse the building without demolition. Its inclusion in a National Historic District and the fact that state funds are being used for the project may trigger an environmental impact review by the State Historic Preservation Office. Kristofik said it appears the Meridian Building is also included in the district but has asked for confirmation from the state.

While the Mercer Building, built in the 1920s, is not specifically named in the narrative of a 1979 federal registry nomination form, State Street is mentioned as a whole. State Street was at the time known at the time as Captain’s Walk following its conversion into a cobblestone pedestrian mall.

“The variety of 19th Century eclectic styles of the buildings along Captain’s Walk is an unusual demonstration of architectural history, well worth study and care. The sense of ‘downtown' that still prevails despite the malls and urban renewal land clearance derives, in large part, from these buildings and their setting along the street,” the narrative reads.

Taken together with structures on Bank and Starr streets, “the buildings’ cohesive affinity to one another is more important than are the buildings individually.”

Sigel said any reactions to the possible demolition are premature.

“Even if no one objected, (the plan) still has to go through a standard review of commissions and agencies where objections could be raised. Once approved, I expect a process involving the community,” Sigel said.

g.smith@theday.com