257 Upper Mountain

257 Upper Mountain Ave was a large Colonial Revival home on an acre of land. 

The exterior of the home was wrapped in cedar clapboard and capped with a slate roof. The interior was equally simple. 

The original portion of the home was built in 1889, with a large sunroom added to the right side of the building.

The home had an unremarkable history and was redecorated several times over the next century. 

In 2021 the home was purchased for $1.25 Million. It was left vacant without a security system, so neighborhood kids started hanging out on the property. 

They smashed a bunch of windows out which eventually got boarded over. The fresh plywood caught my eye while driving past, and before long I made a trip over to try and get inside.

I only made the one trip to 257, and only shot it on my phone. By 2025 the home was entirely gutted and reborn as a new modern dwelling. 

Mater Dei School

Mater Dei was founded in 1961 as a part of St. Mary's School. 

A second school building was constructed on the property in the mid 1960s to house Mater Dei. This was actually when enrolment in private Catholic schools had reached its highest point in the US. 

After the high point of the mid 1960s, enrollment in Catholic schools began to trend downward. This was especially true in New Jersey, where catholic schools began closing in droves by the 2010s. 

In 2017 it was announced Mater Dei was being eyed for closure. Local families were outraged, demanding the archdiocese of Trenton reconsider. They ended up raising over a million dollars, which allowed them to remain open.

The reprieve from closure was only temporary. Talks of closing the school  began again, and by the end of the 2022 school year it was finally shuttered.

In 2023 the school was used as the "principal photography location" for the Mean Girls revival. For those like myself who aren't familiar with that term, its basically where a majority of the filming takes place. 

Demolition was announced and began swiftly at the end of summer 2025. Once the building is cleared the land will be re-dedicated as Mater Dei Park.