Strasburg Schoolhouse Apartments combine nostalgia with modern convenience [photos]

The concept of a "homeroom" takes on a deeper meaning for residents of the Strasburg Schoolhouse Apartments — a former elementary school that has been converted into 26 apartment units.

These nostalgic "adaptive reuse" apartments will feel like home whether your memories include being sent to the principal's office or eagerly awaiting pizza day in the cafeteria.

"We tried to maintain the feel of an old schoolhouse," says Mike Callahan, vice president of real estate development at Benchmark Construction.

His firm purchased the building at 114 W. Franklin St., Strasburg, in December 2023 for $550,000, according to Coldwell Banker Realty. He says that while there's "always surprises renovating an old building," adaptive reuse of buildings is "a way to reimagine space."

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Science and art

Part of reimagining the space was responsibly disposing of asbestos, a material that was commonly used in construction as insulation and a fire retardant until it was partially banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1989.

Callahan says that in addition to remediating asbestos in the building, they had to repair "interesting utility connections" and install fire sprinklers to bring the space up to code. The team also had to remove underground storage tanks.

While much had to be done to create homey living spaces from classrooms, Callahan says that, as history buffs, the team tried to "preserve as much of the school as we could."

He says they discovered old plaques and signs in the basement and hung them throughout the property. An American flag and an old school bell rescued from a 1944 fire are in the front of the apartments, setting the schoolhouse tone. Other schoolhouse touches include the original classroom doors — now fastened shut — and old fire extinguisher holders converted into flower pots. The wide corridors, once bustling with students, are another signature touch. A pull-down map of the United States harks back to learning geography.

The brick and cinder block walls are largely soundproof, Callahan says. Using these materials is "rare in today's apartments."

Callahan says the first four apartments on the right were formerly the school's kitchen, cafeteria and auditorium, so they have 18-foot ceilings with exposed trusses.

"It's the only area where we had to punch in windows through the cinder block," Callahan says.

The school had replaced the gigantic old windows with energy efficient windows in 2010, so those remain throughout the building.

Adaptive reuse of this building was an efficient, albeit pricey, investment strategy.

"They built it to last," Callahan says. "Knocking it down would not be the best use of space and resources."

The Strasburg Schoolhouse Apartments have a storied past. The original building was built around 1870 and served as the local high school for 74 years. A bell on top beckoned students to class, until a fateful morning on Dec. 22, 1944, when a raging fire caused it to crash into the basement. It now sits in front of the building next to a flagpole, with a stone tablet explaining its significance.

The school was rebuilt in 1948 and served as an elementary school; it was renovated in 2006, according to a school board capsule in LNP. In 2013, the school was closed. Victory Church rented the building from 2015 to 2020. Since 2020, the building sat vacant — and off the borough's tax roll — until Benchmark Construction bought it in December 2023 and began the process of converting the school into apartments in January 2024. The first residents moved into the building in July.

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The brand-new apartments are sleek and nostalgic, most with large, energy-efficient windows providing ample natural light. Each unit has a washer and dryer, dishwasher, microwave oven and central air conditioning. They range from a studio at 665 square feet for $1,425 a month to a two-bedroom, one-bath apartment at nearly 1,100 square feet for $2,100 a month. They accept pets — up to two per unit — for a nonrefundable $300 deposit and an additional $50 per month per pet.

Lex Watters, leasing professional with Boyd Wilson, says prospective tenants must have a credit score of at least 600, pass a background check, carry renter's insurance and provide a reference from a previous landlord. A resident's gross income must be three times the rent.

She says there is ample off-street parking, and one unit even has its own private entrance.

One of Watters' favorite units is the former principal's office, with its open floor plan and high ceilings.

"They really wanted to keep the charm of this place, which I appreciate," she says.

Social studies

On a blustery day last December, Benchmark held an open house at the school so residents could "walk the halls" before construction began. The firm had just secured a conditional-use variance, from institutional zoning to residential. Callahan says over 200 people showed up, and residents asked good questions.

Steve Echternach, Strasburg borough manager, attended the open house, as he went to Strasburg Elementary School from first through fourth grade. He says he was pleased to see the adaptive reuse of the building months later.

"Benchmark did a nice job to keep the sense of the school with the banners and doors," he says. "It feels like an old school while at the same time making it into very nice units."