For ninety-nine years, students attended and graduated from Germantown High School.
The building’s intimidating pillars, strong iron gates and vast expanse could lead the unknowing viewer to believe that the school was untouchable. A 2013 vote by the School Reform Commission, however, shuttered GHS and 22 other Philadelphia schools in 2013 as part of a large-scale response to the ongoing education budget crisis in the city.
The Building’s History
The school was built in 1914 to serve the developing area of northwest Philadelphia.
“After the turn of the twentieth century, Germantown’s population was rapidly growing,” said Alex Bartlett, librarian and archivist at the Germantown Historical Society. “We had the railroads and the streetcars, which made this area much more accessible to downtown Philadelphia. Given the growth in population starting around 1905 and into the early teens, it’s only logical that the school went in.”
Up until that point, there was no large public school. Rather, students attended a series of small neighborhood schools.
Chosen for its openness, flatness and accessibility to public transportation, a plot of land adjacent to Germantown Avenue became the home of GHS, which would serve both the local community as well as surrounding neighborhoods.
“Even though it was Germantown High School,” Bartlett continued, “you had a lot of people coming from neighboring areas like Onley, Ogontz, Tioga and some even from Chestnut Hill that would come down on the Route 22 Trolley.”
Though the area was fairly underdeveloped at the time, a large facility was constructed as the developers foresaw residential expansion.
“It’s a bit like some of the suburban schools where they are built quite large with the anticipation that the population will eventually fill it,” Bartlett said.
As a result of both the school’s accessibility and the region’s population increase, the school flourished, thriving until the midcentury.
It was in the 1960s that Germantown High’s bleak future began to form. In the wake of white flight, when hoards of white residents fled the city for the suburbs, the economic climate of the neighborhood drastically changed.
Additionally, the city itself was having economic problem, which meant the school district had funding problems.
While the amount of money coming into the school began to shrink, the amount of money needed to run it did not.
“When you think about how in 1975, the building was already sixty years old,” Bartlett said. “So you would have maintenance issues cropping in which ultimately mean that [maintaining] the school wasn’t nearly so feasible.”
Over the next few decades, the Philadelphia public school system began to diminish even further. Germantown High School was just one of many schools that became too great a burden for the school district to bear.
In 2013, Philadelphia Public School Notebook reported that GHS was using just 31 percent of its building, with two thirds of the space sitting empty and unutilized. Less than half-a-year after the report, Germantown closed its doors.
On June 19, 2013, the last class of seniors exited the Germantown High Building. The building has been on the market ever since.
The Building’s Future
Michael Gallagher, senior sales and leasing representative of The Flynn Company, the real estate company that oversaw the sale of the Germantown High School property, was unable to disclose information regarding the property’s future. Currently the school is owned by the Concordia Group, a Maryland-based development firm.
“They don’t have any development plans right now,” Gallagher said. “The official answer is that they are exploring a lot of options because it’s just a huge site.”
A huge site it is, occupying 125,821 square feet of land and having a total building size of 355,372 square feet.
Community developer Ken Weinstein, president of Philly Office Retail, was an interested buyer of the GHS property. He feels as though the building’s future should be apparent.
“The most obvious use of the Germantown High School building is a school – or more likely two schools,” Weinstein said.
A similar sentiment is felt by many community leaders and residents.
Trumel Combs is a business owner in the area around the GHS building as well as a Germantown resident with children and grandchildren in the Philadelphia school district.
“My daughter didn’t go to Germantown High because it wasn’t good,” Combs said. “I chose to put her in Delaware Valley Charter School. It was a smaller classroom and she got more out of it.”
Combs believes that most parents in the area do not miss GHS because better high school options were available. Regardless, she sees value in a new neighborhood school.
“I would like to see a school,” Combs says. “If they made it into an elite school, than yeah, it would be great to have it in the neighborhood.”
As a business owner, Combs sees a great need for something to occupy the space. Combs owns and operates Sugar Bowl, an ice cream and snack parlor located a few blocks above the high school building.
“It [the school closing] has hurt small business the most, especially businesses like myself,” Combs says.
Councilwoman Cindy Bass, representative of the 8th Council District, which includes Germantown, believes that the future of the building should be left up to the community.
“Germantown High School was a staple in the community, which is why the residents must be involved in determining its future,” said Elliot Griffin, a spokesperson for the councilwoman. “When the SRC decided to close Germantown High, it left another massive vacant building along Germantown Ave. It put a strain on many of the businesses who relied on the students who frequented their establishments. But the biggest impact has definitely been felt by the students.”
The future of the Germantown High property is yet to be determined. For now, the property sits vacant, waiting for its next role in the community’s history.
[vimeo 126209400]
-Text, photos and video by Jared Whalen.
sad reality is ghs closed because the community wasn’t involved, as a ghs parent i tried to get parents involved only for the administration to pull us apart. i hope they are able to open the school again as a community school not a charter or any other privatization. from prek to 16th grade could be taught in that building. shops and stem would also help, like they could grow enough food to feed the community on that land, all kinds of sustainablity could be going on there. and that would be a win win for the families, residents and businesses. sugar bowl is the last thing our youth need. crazy how the businesses miss the money the youth would spend but didn’t comment on missing giving back to the community with jobs/internships. bottom line is always about money.
Great job babys
Hate to hear that the school closed,
But when I went there it was cool,
Rapping Duke, U.T.F.O, Roxanne Roxanne, etc…least I was a part of history.
I graduated from GHS class of 1971 and I loved my school. Yes we had issues but my time there and my teachers were great.
I. Barry hampton graduate from Germantown high class of 1987 and we also had Kevin Eubanks who also a Germantown high alumni so we as
Alumni and community we must contact Kevin Eubanks to see can we ‘re built Germantown high also DelilAH WINDER FROM THE FOOD NET WORK ALSO DEWHIGHT EWANS WE MUST SAVE GERMAN TRADITION
Looking gor 1971 year book
How about keeping a lot of the features that make the building classic and turn it into condominiums? Albuquerque High School did that with their old building which looks much like GHS. 1967 GHS grad.
We all know why Germantown high was closed down. Combs, we also know why your kid was sent to “a small charter school.” It was too damn dangerous. It was dangerous in the 1970’s. No one wanted to teach there, cause the student body behaved like savages. Sick of everyone lying and pandering to this crap. Germantowns been ruined by the multi generation, welfare recipient family. Picket middle school was exactly the same but Clarence e. Picket, was built for the ppl who were now destroying Germantown. Tired of listening to you all lie about everything!
I graduated from GHS class of Feb. 1948. Am a Korean War Vet, I lived near Gratz HS but liked the Germantown area better, GHS had better sports teams too. I took the 23 trolley every day, shared great friendships with other students on my trolley ride from the Tioga section
of Phila. I also ran on the track team . Can Remember Doc Zwarg, Head Gym Teacher.
I graduated from Germantown High School in 1984. I don’t remember it being so bad as some say it was. It wasn’t perfect, but we weren’t a bunch of savages on welfare. My dad worked hard to support his family. I went on to college after that.
I loved my four years at Germantown High School. I was in the school’s Magnet Program for College bound students. I was in the Class of 1980. I had Great Teachers and some of the Best friends I could ever ask for. Some of my Best Facebook friends are from my High School Days. I just recently discovered that GTown was gone. I will truly miss it.
I graduated from Germantown High School in 1961. In the two years I attended there, I never once saw an incidence of violence or drugs being sold or used. It was a different era. Christian behavior and society were on the same page. By the 70’s all that had changed and violence was the norm. A tragic ending to a once-pleasant school.
Good day ,
sorry i am trying to reach some old friends from germantown , i lived on washington lane in the sixties, emigrated back to Holland in 1971 kan anyone help please
I attended G-Town from 1971 through 1973. Had great Football coaches in Coach Benjamin, Coach Johnston and Coach Kostner and Great Teachers. I appreciate my time there. I don’t recall savagery nor did I feel my life was ever in danger. I was from a lower-middle class family from Mt Airy and the Welfare Recipients comment above is just a low blow. Just think that 2 1/2half hours away down in Alexandria, VA they had just desegregated their schools in 1971 .(See “Remember the Titans” with Denzel Washington) I was happy to be at G-Town in 1971 thru 1973 and not at TC Williams High School in Alexandria, VA. I went on to college, serve time in the Army and had a successful career in the Department of Defense for over 35 Year. Germantown High School served me well.