From a half-way house to a school.
That's the new owner's plan for the Perkins Mansion in Sharon, that just sold at auction for $340,000.

Dr. Barry Marchetto is a radiologist who lives in Sharon. The preservation of history is very important to him, as is education. That's why he knew the Perkins mansion would be a wonderful location for the Shenango Valley's first Montessori School.
Montessori schools teach students from ages three to 14 with a focus on academics and practical life skills. Youngstown has one and the Marchetto's have a daughter who went there.

"They are a different method of teaching children and we had a wonderful experience with it so let's pick up that property and transform it into something that will be a legacy," said Dr. Marchetto.

They envision the Perkins mansion will have students from the pre-school age to around 6th grade.

"English, math, science, health, that type of thing. But in addition to that they teach kids how to sow, sweep floors, wash windows, that type of thing because they promote the idea of children doing things independently," said Kimberly Marchetto.

They see the 8 acres as a great place for students to help create lavish gardens that used to spawl across the property.

Marchetto says he's paying the bulk of the costs for the restoration of the mansion. He says he hopes to have it all finished by the time kids come for fall 2023 classes.