William Penn High School (illustration: Rich Hauck)
A Harrisburg school building tops a list of local “preservation priorities,” as an area historic preservation group has unveiled its annual list.
On Monday night, Historic Harrisburg Association (HHA) detailed its list of endangered historic structures in the greater Harrisburg area.
“By compiling this list and publicizing it, it has played a very significant role in encouraging these important properties to be preserved,” said David Morrison, HHA’s executive director, reflecting on past efforts.
In an hour-long presentation, HHA board President Jeb Stuart outlined the group’s priorities for 2024, with the former William Penn High School topping the list of preservation priorities.
Last year, the Harrisburg School District proposed demolishing the century-old school, which has been vacant and deteriorating for over a decade. That proposal met pushback from the community and alumni, resulting in the appointment of a task force to weigh other options for the building and property. Those options are due to be presented imminently to district officials.
“There is agreement that the property can be saved and should be saved,” said Morrison, who sits on the task force. “I think there’s a good chance that a good outcome will result from this effort.”
The sprawling Harrisburg State Hospital complex, located mostly in Susquehanna Township, was second on the list. The commonwealth had been trying to sell the property, with Dauphin County as a proposed buyer, but that deal later fell through.
The Broad Street Market takes the third spot on the list. Last year, a fire devastated the market’s 150-year-old brick building, which has been shuttered since. The older stone building remains open, but reconstruction has not yet commenced on the brick building’s restoration, which could take years.
“We hope to work very closely with the city and with the Pennsylvania Historical Museum Commission in making sure, to the extent possible, that this [fire-ravaged] section of the brick building will be rebuilt as it was,” Stuart said.
The fourth “preservation priority” was the former Camp Curtin Memorial Mitchell UMC Church. In 2021, a local developer purchased the church from the Susquehanna United Methodist Conference, proposing to redevelop it into housing. That project didn’t occur and, just last month, the church was sold to a Lancaster-based congregation called Ministry Int IPDA.
HHA listed two vacant Harrisburg firehouses as the fifth “preservation priority.” Sale of the Riverside Firehouse has been in limbo for years, as it sits on two different property parcels that have not yet been consolidated. Likewise, the Paxton Firehouse in Shipoke has long been empty, despite an attempt two years ago to turn it into a facility serving the homeless population.
HHA’s top-five preservation priorities differ significantly from last year’s when the Market Street Bridge topped the list, followed by Balsley House, a dilapidated, Federal-style building in downtown Harrisburg.
Moreover, HHA put about two-dozen buildings and structures on its “watch list,” meaning they’re historic properties of concern. These include the Market Street Bridge, Balsley House, Prospect Hill Cemetery Gatehouse, Zembo Shrine Center, the Walnut Street Bridge, Grace United Methodist Church, former Coca-Cola bottling works and several Front Street mansions, among others.
Balsley House
HHA’s 2024 “Preservation Priorities” was drafted by the organization’s preservation committee and still must be approved by the full board.
“When we publicize [these properties], sometimes it spurs the owner into doing something about it. Sometimes, it spurs somebody to look into purchasing the property,” Morrison said. “So, it’s a very effective tool for promoting historic preservation.”
You can watch Historic Harrisburg Association’s “Preservation Priorities” presentation on their Facebook page. The video also will be posted on their website.
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