The former church school lunchroom at 3619 S. Hoyne Avenue, Chicago, part of the recently sold, multi-building property housing deconsecrated St. Maurice Catholic Church in the McKinley Park neighborhood, is slated for overhaul as part of a new daycare center, according to building permit records.
As previously reported here in the McKinley Park News, Smart Learning Centers owner Pian Yue purchased the St. Maurice property from the Archdiocese of Chicago, including the building housing Velma Thomas Early Childhood Center, a Chicago Public Schools-run preschool at 3625 S. Hoyne Ave., Chicago, next to the lunchroom building.
Chicago Public Schools has a ten-year agreement to allow Velma Thomas to stay, as previously reported, but its leaders said this summer they’re still looking for a “forever home.”
Interior Alterations
Chicago Building Permit No. 101070097, issued on November 18, 2025, specifies allowing interior alterations of the former St. Maurice school lunchroom building for a new day care center, with use providing personal care for more than three children for fewer than 24 hours per day.
The reported cost for the project is $340,000, according to the building permit.
Property developers had not replied to inquires about the new day care construction as of the time of publication of this article.
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