The proposed sale of Eastern Nazarene College’s campus in Quincy has collapsed, leaving one of the city’s most prominent parcels in limbo following plans to redevelop the 20-acre property for housing.
The deal to sell the campus to a graduate of the private Christian college, which shut down in May at the end of the school year, was expected to move forward but “will not be finalized,” the school’s transition board announced on Nov. 18, according to a message on the website of ENC’s sister school Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Ohio.
“The Board remains committed to stewarding these assets in a way that aligns with the community’s evolving needs, and will consider new, good-faith offers for the property that honor ENC’s legacy,” the board said.
Earlier this year, the college’s board of trustees announced an agreement in principle to sell the campus to the Crain Company, led by 2006 graduate Graham Crain.
At the time, college officials said the developer planned to convert many of the campus buildings into multifamily homes, townhouses, and senior-living residences — a project they described as a way to “steward the campus into its next phase of transformational impact.”
The agreement came as the college prepared to shut its doors after nearly 125 years, citing persistent financial challenges and declining enrollment.
In June 2024, the college said it planned to close at the end of the 2024-25 academic year, part of a wave of small college closures in New England. In fall 2022, the school had 541 undergraduate and graduate students, a decline of more than 100 from the previous year and more than 150 from fall 2020, the Globe reported.
The sale’s collapse was previously reported by The Patriot Ledger.
Crain, the college’s transition board, and the Quincy mayor’s office couldn’t immediately been reached for comment.
Nick Stoico can be reached at nick.stoico@globe.com.