The 'Castle On The Hill' and Vern McKissick's Vision of Tomorrow

January 11, 2005

The town of Hazelton is inextricably linked with the coal industry in Pennsylvania. When "coal was king" this region experienced a growth phase and a level of prosperity expressed in both personal wealth and community services. The first school built in Hazelton was a wooden building constructed on the northwest corner of Church and Green Streets by the Hazelton Coal Company. As the industry grew, so did the population and the need for schools.

In 1928, Hazelton Senior High School was completed at a cost of $1,114,000.00, the first school in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to exceed the million-dollar mark for construction costs. Dubbed the "Castle on the Hill" by area residents, the school - literally - has the appearance of a castle, dominated by two turreted towers and a broad masonry arch over the entrance.

The school, like the coal economy, was a casualty of diminishing prosperity. A combination of mounting repair costs, and a public viewpoint which deemed a new school necessary to revive the district, seemed to doom the formerly grand structure. The building was closed in the 1990s, with an auction held to remove anything of value prior to demolition. A grassroots "Save The Castle" movement sprouted and successfully defended the edifice from the wrecking ball by secretly entering the building over the years and conducting preservation efforts while several Hazelton Area School District boards debated its fate.

Enter Vern McKissick, head of McKissick Associates of Harrisburg, and advocate for preserving and renovating the historic structure. The school board hired McKissick in 2003 to draw up plans for remodeling the "Castle" and making it a functional school building for third- through eighth-graders in the district.

McKissick is no stranger to projects of this complexity. His firm has successfully led, or is leading the restoration of such diverse projects as the Millersburg Train Station, the Lykens Hotel, and the Dill Tavern in Dillsburg. Considerable experience in educational building design and a strong background in historic preservation have made McKissick Associates a natural candidate for the Hazelton project.

McKissick Associates' research of the "Castle" has yielded a variety of major new finds in the renovation. "We are more than simply an architectural firm engaged in a project," said Vern McKissick, "we feel an obligation to become the advocate for the community in which the venture is located."

McKissick and his staff have located photos of the building as it was being constructed, the original concept drawings, and the original blueprints. Such information allows the architect and his staff to base their renovations on historic archetype, rather than guessing about what original building designer's intent.

"The original plans for the building call for two additions, actually wings for either side of the central structure," said McKissick. He added, "One was erected, but the other wasn't. So, in a way, you could say that we're finishing the original plans."

With the major reconstruction work for the "Castle on the Hill" already underway, it is expected that the school will open for the 2005-06-school term. The quest for objects of historical significance to the school continues by the local historical society. According to McKissick, "The efforts by the community to reclaim many of the items auctioned off have been nothing short of remarkable. To be able to combine architecture, historic preservation and education in a complete package is a truly rewarding experience for us."