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
Cheltenham Township is a home rule township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. Cheltenham's population density ranges from over 10,000 per square mile (25,900 per square kilometer) in rowhouses and high-rise apartments along Chelte ...
,
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.
[ ''Note:'' This includes ]
It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
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.
[ ''Note:'' This includes ]
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
The Awbury Historic District is a historic area in the Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, East Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It encompasses the former summer homes and farms of the extended Cope family, who moved to ...
and Harris/Laird, Schober & Company Building in Philadelphia; Michael Derstine Farmstead in Bucks County;
Chester Heights Camp Meeting Historic District
The Chester Heights Camp Meeting Historic District is a historic Methodist camp meeting and national historic district located in Chester Heights, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The district includes 101 contributing buildings, which were designe ...
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.
[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.
This historic school was then officially listed on the
National Register of Historic Places later in 2001.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heller, George K., School
School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
Schools in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania
1883 establishments in Pennsylvania
National Register of Historic Places in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania