| Property Name: | Former William Penn High School |
| Address: | N. Third and Division Streets |
| Owners: | Harrisburg School District |
| Priority Since: | 2017 |
| Status: | School District has cancelled demolition plan. Community Task Force assembled and recommended adaptive reuse. $2.4 million contract utilized for clean-out process and asbestos removal in early 2024. Two unsolicited proposals for reuse of the campus are in the process of being reviewed. |
Former William Penn High School was opened in 1926 as the mate to John Harris High School at the city’s northern and eastern ends respectively. This major Harrisburg landmark, designed by Harrisburg architect Charles Howard Lloyd, has been on the market since 2015 after it was vacated by the Harrisburg School District. Beautifully situated overlooking Italian Lake (developed in sync with the construction of the high school) and at a key uptown location adjacent to the Academy Manor and Riverside neighborhoods and the Zembo Shrine Center across Division Street, the complex may hold great potential for an adaptive reuse project particularly when considering the spacious grounds that could be dedicated to recreational purposes.