Germantown High School
On this explore, Jess and I explore another abandoned high school in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia. The original building was built in 1914 making it one of the oldest in the country. The school graduated its final class on June 19, 2013, and closed its doors permanently that week. Join us as we venture inside to see what remains.
Built-in 1914 to serve the developing community in northwest Philadelphia. Alex Bartlett, librarian and archivist at the Germantown Historical Society said “After the turn of the twentieth century, Germantown’s population was rapidly growing. 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.”
In 1913, the Philadelphia School district acquired two properties for $150,000 for the construction of the school. Plans for a four-story 355,372 square foot building were done by J. Horace Cook. Germantown opened in 1915 at the cost of $784,000 with a total capacity of 2,000 students. A basement gymnasium opened a year later in 1916.
Due to chronic overcrowding, plans were presented for a new 26 classroom wing, new fieldhouse, and general renovations to Germantown in 1966 reducing the average class size down to 25 from an average of 30. Construction began in 1968 and was completed in 1970. In 1972, after Martin Luther King High School opened, Germantown, converted to only 11th and 12th grade, while 9th and 10th grades were held at Martin Luther King. By its, closing Germantownwas integrated and became a 4 year school.
By the 2000s Germantownboasted a 50% graduation rate, with 1 in 5 students meeting standards in reading and 1 in 6 in math. Germantown also had the highest rate of violent incidents in the city. The school district was struggling with a $305 million budget deficit and the loss of 60,000 students over the last decade to charter and magnet schools. It was decided to close Georgetown forever. And in 2013 with an enrollment of just 676 students, Georgetown graduated its final class.
Today, the prosperity is owned by the Concordia Group, a Maryland-based development firm; however, not much is known about the current plans for Germantown. For almost a century, students have attended and graduated from Germantown. Its intimidating pillars, iron gates, and monolithic size could lead to the belief that the school was untouchable. A single vote from the School Reform Commission shuttered Germantown along with 22 other Philadelphia schools. Until next time explorers, stay safe.
