The old Bishop McDevitt High School is on the verge of a major transformation, and today the development team behind the project opened up the century-old building to TheBurg to speak about their plans.
We first learned last month about The Bridge and its partners—Garry Gilliam, Corey Dupree, Dezwaan Dubois, Rob DeJarnette and Jordan Hill. The old friends all know each other from their years at Milton Hershey School and/or Penn State, and Gilliam and Hill both had professional football careers.
You can read the story here about how they plan to create a multi-use complex that will include co-working, maker, event and community space, and, in the longer term, build out an eco-friendly live/work/play environment. The team also would like to purchase and transform the old William Penn High School in Uptown Harrisburg.
Please look for a magazine feature about the partners and their plans in our February issue. In the meantime, we wanted to share some pictures from Thursday, as the partners gave TheBurg a tour of the interior of the building.
As you can see below, the building needs major work, having been vacant since the Catholic diocese closed the high school in 2013. However, the partners expect to begin renovations soon for a 2020 opening of the first phase.
To learn more about The Bridge, you also can visit their website.
The Bridge partners Jordan Hill, Corey Dupree and Garry Gilliam speak to our reporter.
Garry Gilliam
Partners Dezwaan Dubois and Corey Dupree in the gym area, which will be transformed to community and event space.
The exterior
Main hallway
A classroom blackboard
The Bishop McDevitt mural
Tile surrounds a water fountain
The stage and gym
Fireplace in a classroom
Room 213
A major renovation is ahead for this dilapidated space
