PROVIDENCE — The trial pitting the city against a family that started to tear down the Grove Street School has been postponed a month, after the death of one of the defendants in the case.

Stephen A. Tarro, of Providence, one of the four named defendants and the director of the A. Tarro & Sons Funeral Home on Broadway, was found dead in his home in late March. He was 34.

He and his three siblings were to stand trial yesterday in Rhode Island Superior Court.

Lawyers for both sides said the trial has been continued to June 25.

The former school was heavily damaged when a demolition contractor began ripping it apart without a building permit on the morning of Feb. 3. The demolition was partially complete when residents informed police and city officials, and the work was halted. The building is now protected by an injunction preventing further work, and partially covered by a tarp.

The building is owned by the Tarro family, which bought it at auction from the city in 1982. The Tarros operate A. Tarro & Sons Funeral Home nearby and have long been interested in tearing down the school to create additional parking.

Michael A. Tarro said he has taken over operating the funeral home for his deceased brother, in addition to doing some legal work for the home. Michael Tarro is also an assistant city solicitor in Providence. To prevent a conflict of interest, the city has hired Deming Sherman, of Edwards, Angell, Palmer & Dodge, to work the case.

Sherman said yesterday that both sides have done most of their pre-trial work, and the case should be able to begin on time despite Tarro’s death. The case will be heard before Judge Gilbert V. Indeglia, who attended Grove Street School as a child.

Stephen Tarro was not the first Tarro sibling to die young. His brother, Gregory Tarro, 32, was found dead in his home under similar circumstances in 2005.

The former school, which closed in 1975, is prized by preservationists for its architecture. In 2002, the Providence Preservation Society placed the building on its list of 10 most endangered buildings.

In the meantime, the city has begun the process of taking the school by eminent domain for housing, but city officials said they will await the results of the court case before pursuing that avenue further.

dbarbari@projo.com