National Register of Historic Places

Harrisburg Technical High School

Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Listed
December 7, 1982
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
82001533

About this property

Harrisburg Technical High School, also known as Old City Hall, is a historic building and former high school located in Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. Though previously used as a high school, vocational school, and municipal building, it is now converted for apartments. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. As Harrisburg's manufacturing and industry was prosperous in the turn of the 20th century, the Harrisburg Board of School Directors took a look at "manual training programs" in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. in 1904. The next year, Superintendent Lemuel O. Foose decided to implement a program by building a rear expansion to what was then The Harrisburg Lancasterian School (renamed DeWitt School) built in 1836, on the site of the current day Technical High School. The 1905 DeWitt School Building Shop expansion was a two-story, brick and iron frame structure, which was designed to hold heavy machinery for the curriculum. As this program became quickly successful, the DeWitt School's front structure became obsolete. The front portion was razed and rebuilt in 1910, designed by prominent Harrisburg architect Charles Howard Lloyd and constructed as a four-story, steel frame and concrete Collegiate Gothic style building and renamed Harrisburg Technical High School, along with the previous 1905 rear shop expansion. It sits on a brownstone foundation, some of which was mined in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania. The front façade features tapestry, brick veneer and brownstone trim. By 1921, Lloyd drafted another expansion, but the city instead later opted on building two new schools, William Penn High School and John Harris High School, to facilitate the large student population growth. Following the two new schools, the building was sold to the city after its closure in 1926. Also designed by Charles Lloyd, the building was then converted for use as Harrisburg's City Hall in 1929. In the 1980s, after the relocation of City Hall, the building began yet another new purpose as apartment housing. In the 1918 and 1919 football seasons, Paul G. Smith coached the Tech Maroons to 21 undefeated wins with star player Carl Beck. The championship was won again in 1925 with Johnny Kitzmiller scoring 21 points. Clarence G. Stoner (1901–1994), member of the Pennsylvania House of Delegates Media related to Harrisburg Technical High School at Wikimedia Commons

Location

423 Walnut St.
Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
40.26325, -76.88027

Categories

EDUCATIONPOLITICS/GOVERNMENTARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Seel, William, Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
Harris Switch Tower, Pennsylvania Railroad
Industrial
0.2 mi
Kunkel Building
Industrial
0.2 mi
Harrisburg Central Railroad Station and Trainshed
Industrial
0.2 mi
Old Downtown Harrisburg Commercial Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Harrisburg Technical High School listed on the National Register?

Harrisburg Technical High School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 7, 1982.

What type of historic resource is Harrisburg Technical High School?

Harrisburg Technical High School is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Harrisburg Technical High School?

The period of significance for Harrisburg Technical High School is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Harrisburg Technical High School?

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