SAN JOSE — A religious nonprofit is preparing to open a Christian-oriented community services center next month at the former Downtown College Prep site in San Jose.

The organization, operating as 123 Christian Community Center and controlled by Bay Area real estate executive Peter Pau, will host a grand opening on Oct. 10 at the old school grounds south of downtown at 1402 Monterey Road.

The Pau-led group gained ownership of the buildings and parking sites at the corner of Monterey Road and Alma Avenue on Aug. 20, paying $12 million to buy a ground lease from San Jose Unified School District.

The district still owns the land beneath the structures. The lease expires in 2067, public legal filings show. Commercial real estate firm CBRE arranged the deal.

The site features a primary building that totals 75,000 square feet and a gymnasium that totals 10,000 square feet. An estimated 10 ministries will operate on the campus.

An array of services are slated to be offered at the center.

“The 123 Christian Community Center brings healthcare, youth sports, mothers’ ministry, and reentry services together in one place,” the nonprofit states on its website.

Madre-A-Madre, a Spanish-language women’s empowerment organization based in the downtown San Jose area, will offer programs and meetings at the center, the website states. The African Outreach Center also is slated to operate at the site and connect local churches with communities in Africa.

Erik Schoennauer, a San Jose-based land-use consultant, represented Pau in successful efforts to rezone the site to accommodate new community service uses.

Southern Lumber operated at the location in 1910, but shut the lumberyard in 2015.

Downtown College Prep opened its high school there in 2017, but ceased operations in June 2025 due to financial struggles and slumping enrollment.

“The reuse as a community service facility could bring renewed activity and investment to a site that has long served the community,” Bob Staedler, principal executive with Silicon Valley Synergy, said in an interview in August.