George K. Heller School

The George K. Heller School, also known as the Cheltenham Center for the Arts, is a historic school building located in Ashmead Village, Cheltenham Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It was originally built in 1883 to house the first Cheltenham High School, and expanded in 1893 and 1906. Later additions took place between 1963 and 1969, after it was converted to the Cheltenham Center for the Arts. The stone school building ranges from 1 1/2- to 2 1/2-stories and has intersecting gable roofs. The roof is topped by a square cupola. A school was located on this site as early as 1795 and it was considered the oldest public school site in continuous use at the time of its closing in 1953.[2]

George K. Heller School
George K. Heller School, west wing.
Location in the Philadelphia metropolitan area
Location439 Ashbourne Road, Ashmead Village, Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°03′43″N 75°05′56″W
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1883
ArchitectPool, Samuel T.
Architectural styleLate Victorian
NRHP reference No.01000461[1]
Added to NRHPMay 2, 2001

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.[1]

History and architectural features

With educational activities having taken place on this site as early as 1795, this historic property was considered by historians to the oldest public school site in continuous use in the region at the time of its closing in 1953. Built on this site in 1883, the George K. Heller School (Cheltenham Center for the Arts) was designed to house the first Cheltenham High School; it was then subsequently expanded in 1893 and 1906 with other additions erected in 1963 and 1969 after the structure was converted to the Cheltenham Center for the Arts. Ranging from 1 1/2- to 2 1/2-stories, this stone school has intersecting gable roofs, topped by a square cupola.[2]

Placement on the National Register of Historic Places

The NRHP nomination application for the George K. Heller School was formally reviewed by Pennsylvania's Historic Preservation Board at its March 13, 2001 meeting at 9:45 a.m. at the State Museum in Harrisburg. Also considered for NRHP status at this time were the: Protection of the Flag Monument in Athens, Pennsylvania; Normandy Farm and Upper Roxborough Historic District in Montgomery County; Awbury Historic District and Harris/Laird, Schober & Company Building in Philadelphia; Michael Derstine Farmstead in Bucks County; Chester Heights Camp Meeting Historic District in Delaware County; John Nicholas and Elizabeth Moyer House in Berks County; William Shelly School and Annex in York County; and the Zeta Psi Fraternity House in Northampton County.[3]

This historic school was then officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places later in 2001.[1]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Note: This includes Dominique M. Hawkins (July 2000). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: George K. Heller School" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-05-11.
  3. George K. Heller School, in "Historical and Museum Commission: National Register Nominations to be Considered by the Historic Preservation Board," in Pennsylvania Bulletin, Vol. 31, No. 6, February 10, 2001, p. 893. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, retrieved online October 12, 2019.
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