HAVERHILL — In many ways, it will be like Bradford College all over again.
Hundreds of students from across the United States and eight other countries will descend on this quaint New England campus at the end of the month — just in time for the fall semester.
They will live in dorms on the old Bradford College campus and attend classes in historical buildings such as Hasseltine Hall. They will stroll a few blocks to Central Square to pick up a pizza and maybe rent a few movies to watch in their rooms.
They will bring a college town flavor to this section of Haverhill that has been missing since May of 2000, when the 200-year-old Bradford College abruptly closed because of financial problems.
The campus has been a ghost town since, but that is about to change. Zion Bible College has moved onto the campus and is braced for the arrival of its students. It is a scenario the surrounding neighborhood and larger community hoped for, almost begged for, after it appeared the property might become a housing development.
Ready to open the doors
About 300 Zion students will arrive by Aug. 26, when Zion Bible College holds its first classes of the year here. Zion, which is associated with the Assemblies of God denomination, trains students for church ministries as pastors and missionaries. The school has invested more than $5 million in renovations to the Bradford campus.
Of the total number of students enrolled for the fall semester, 90 percent are upperclassmen who have been attending Zion's former campus in Barrington, R.I.
"We will be greeting 80 to 90 new freshmen as well," Zion President Charles Crabtree said.
Zion's population will be reminiscent of the students who attended Bradford in decades past. The liberal arts school drew students from several countries, giving the campus a wide cultural mix. Families said they moved to the neighborhood because they enjoyed that mix and college atmosphere. They feared it would be lost when the property's owner considered selling to groups with no plans for educational use. With the arrival of Zion, neighbors and local merchants are glad that atmosphere is back.
City officials and local businessmen said Haverhill's economy suffered a blow when Bradford College closed and its students and school staff members were no longer spending money in the city. They expect Haverhill to benefit economically from Zion moving here.
"We used to do business with the old Bradford College," said Peter Carbone, co-owner of EZ Way Cleaners shops in Haverhill and Bradford's Central Square. "With students on campus and faculty living in the area, they'll likely be looking to utilize the small-business community of Bradford and downtown Haverhill."
A $5 million face-lift
Former Bradford College students would be surprised, but maybe not shocked, at the physical changes that are taking place at their old school. Over the last several months, workers have installed new carpeting in the library, the first two floors of Academy Hall, and all three floors of Hasseltine Hall, where classes will be held.
The cafeteria kitchen in Academy Hall has all new commercial appliances, while Academy and Hasseltine halls and the library now have modern fire suppression systems and new fire doors.
Academy Hall, the center building as seen from South Main Street, has 466 new energy-efficient windows in the style of the original windows. To maintain the building's historical architecture, woodworkers replicated the four wooden pediments located above the main entrance. Crabtree said the originals were rotted and could not be repaired.
Dr. Patrick Gallagher, academic dean of Zion, said he is particularly impressed with Hasseltine Hall because of its "great natural lighting."
"It's a beautiful building with wonderful ambiance," Gallagher said.
Students will reside in the Tupelo dormitories that were built prior to Bradford College closing.
Hasseltine Hall has 156 new custom-designed windows that also emulate the original window designs. This is where classes will be held.
"It's going to be beautiful when it's done," Crabtree said.
Denworth Hall, which is where the school's theater is located, is not usable at this time, Crabtree said. It has also been renamed Gibson Hall, in honor of Zion's founder.
"It will take a minimum of $2.5 million to fix this building," Crabtree said. "We hope to launch a capital campaign in about a year, at the earliest."
The previously empty Hemingway Library is now filled with more than 40,000 books, magazines and periodicals, including a very large theological collection, said librarian Ginger McDonald. The library also received a fresh coat of paint on the walls and other renovations including repairs to the air-conditioning system.
"We were running out of space at our Rhode Island campus," McDonald said. "This library gives us the opportunity to install Wi-Fi, and we've upgraded study booths with more power outlets for plugging in laptop computers."
The campus's old gymnasium, which includes a basement swimming pool, has serious mold issues and may not be usable, Crabtree said.
"We don't even know if it is capable of renovation," he said.
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A homecoming of sorts
For Crabtree, reconnecting with the school he's known since his childhood was like a match made in heaven.
His relationship with Zion Bible College goes back to his childhood when Zion founder Christine Gibson would visit his family in Bangor, Maine.
Crabtree had retired from the ministry last October when he turned 70, with little thought to ever working again. Then Zion called to ask if he'd be willing to help the school surmount its many problems, including dwindling enrollment and a deteriorating facility in Rhode Island that would have needed millions of dollars in repairs and upgrades.
"Zion was struggling to survive, and I told my sister it would take a miracle for me to consider the job," Crabtree said. "She told me she'd ask her husband to call David Green, whom he knows, and several weeks later he (Green) buys the Bradford College campus. We talked and he said to me, 'I heard you'll be president.'"
Crabtree lives in North Andover with his wife, Ramona, a professional pianist and recording artist.
Gallagher will live on campus in the old "Coats" house, which has been completely refurbished.
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Zion Bible College
Classes begin: Aug. 26
Students enrolled this fall: About 300
Mission: Train students for church ministries as pastors and missionaries
$5 million in renovations to the former Bradford College campus:
Exterior and interior repainting in Academy and Hasseltine halls
New carpeting and windows in Academy Hall, Hasseltine Hall and the library
New commercial kitchen appliances in Academy Hall
Library walls repainted, air-conditioning system being repaired, study booths upgraded
Denworth Hall renamed Gibson Hall for Zion's founder, Christine Gibson
Rotted wooden pediments above the entrance to Academy Hall replaced with custom-made copies
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