DeLong Memorial School renovated, rooms turned into apartments for seniors

Dec. 8—WASHINGTONVILLE — A local landmark with a history that reaches back almost a century has been rehabilitated with the intention of converting it into a micro-community for residents over age 55.

The DeLong Memorial School was built in 1930, and at the time, said Washingtonville Mayor Tyler Dombroski, "it was one of the most modern high schools in the country. Now, it will be a modern building housing eight apartments for residents 55-plus."

The school was named in honor of Frank DeLong, a wealthy inventor, who was born just outside of Washingtonville in 1865. Through his philanthropy, he financed the building of the school, as well as other facilities in Washingtonville. DeLong hired all the labor to build the school.

At the time, Washingtonville went from having a one-room school, as was common in rural areas, Dombroski said, "to having a modern school building for the time period."

The building operated as a school into the late 1970s, Dombroski said.

Once the building and its programming became a part of the Danville School District, the DeLong School was primarily an elementary school, up until about 2000.

"About 20 years ago, the Danville School District sold the building," Dombroski said. "Over the past decade or so the building has fallen into significant disrepair. So much so that people in this community assumed the building was probably a loss. It was subsequently foreclosed in 2020."

A little over a year ago the building was purchased and has since been redeveloped. "It has really saved the local landmark," Dombroski said.

The buyer was Jim Spangenberg (managing partner, DeLong Village LLC), of Millville.

Spangenberg has rehabilitated the building with the intention of turning the building into a 55-plus community. He has converted the classrooms into 8 apartments.

"He's done a beautiful job and this is first-class housing," Dombroski said.

Spangenberg said he did not know of the significance of the school before he bought it. "I have been through Washingtonville hundreds of times but was not aware of the historic property until a friend introduced me to it two years ago."

Spangenberg has experience with renovating these kinds of structures. "I've done similar construction projects in southeastern Pennsylvania for senior public housing," he said Tuesday. He cited projects near Philadelphia where they took old school houses and converted them into 55-plus micro-communities."

It didn't take long, he continued, "to realize there is a direct connection between school houses and their community. There is a real emotional attachment. and it is a shame to see those pieces of history fall to the wayside and not become a legitimate component of the community."

After purchasing the property, construction began on Oct. 29, 2021. They closed on the property on Oct. 28, 2021. The next day "we were on site cleaning it up," Spangenberg recalled. "We didn't really go full speed until we had permits in late winter 2022."

It was a cluttered property, Spangenberg said. "The timing was right. I would say that a year before we acquired the property the back of the building began to take on water from a failing roof. We believe that had the problems not been addressed at that time, the building would have been a loss."

The rehabilitation work was finished about a month ago. "We took each of the seven classrooms and adapted them into one bedroom apartments. An eighth unit was made into a living space as well. Each unit has a full kitchen. and each unit has its own indoor-outdoor access. People can come and go from their own point of entry. Although it is a community-based development concept, it also enables residents to isolate themselves should COVID rear its ugly head again."

These are all rental units, Spangenberg said.

As a bonus, the community residents will have access to Riverwoods programming, including their wellness programs, should they so choose.

For more details and an application, visit Facebook (the DeLong Village), email delongvillage@gmail.com. or call 570-441-1562.