Washingtonville school transformed into senior apartments |

WASHINGTONVILLE — Transforming from school rooms to residences, the previous DeLong Memorial University in Washingtonville has been renovated into a senior condominium creating, the DeLong Village.

The DeLong Memorial University was constructed in the 1930s and was financed by Frank DeLong. The college was in operation until eventually the late-1970s, when it was closed by the Danville neighborhood. It put in some time as a nursing school right until it was sold by the Danville Space Faculty District in the 2000s. It then functioned as a particular treatment residence, but that was discontinued in the late 2010s.

“The DeLong identify is one with a whole lot of background, custom and certainly a good deal of neighborhood pleasure,” mentioned Washingtonville Mayor Tyler Dombroski. “Frank DeLong’s been absent considering the fact that 1939, and it is a title that a large amount of individuals acquire critically around listed here. The college making is just one of the greatest legacies that Frank DeLong remaining to our local community.

“I’ve been mayor for 8-and-a-half years now and the college had not been in great form for a although and, with possessing that legacy and background, I was really involved, and a ton of people in the community have been extremely concerned, about probably what the ending of this setting up would be,” Dombroski continued. “It genuinely didn’t seem wonderful a pair yrs ago and, as significantly as Generations Building, what has transpired to this building has been very little brief of prayers answered in our impression. They acquired it a 12 months ago and from a yr in the past to now and, walking by this home each and every night time with my doggy, I have been pinching myself that this is what the home seems like in comparison to not all that very long back. I assume Frank DeLong would be proud as considerably as the renovations that have occurred listed here.”

The property was brought by Jim Spangenberg, who is the owner and president of Generations Construction Inc., DeLong Village LLC and PA Village 55 Additionally. His wife Ginny Spangenberg is the secretary and internet marketing director for DeLong Village. They acquired the former college constructing in Oct 2021, and they have been renovating it for the earlier yr. The initial period was completed about 1 month ago.

“We adapted what was most not long ago a 24-bed room nursing property into eight one-bed room apartments for persons 55 or older,” stated Jim. “We’re also seeking to long run progress about the school, but our first concentration is to lease up these 8 residences.

“There were being 7 school rooms and there have been toilet amenities,” he continued. “We’ve taken just about every of people 7 classrooms and turned them into the one-bed room residences, then we converted the rest room services into its individual condominium.”

In addition to the eight just one-bedroom residences, there will also be 16 quickly-to-be produced two-bedroom cottages, which are envisioned to be comprehensive by summer season 2023.

Renovations to the setting up bundled bringing down the ceilings, developing out of doors access to just about every of the residences, producing exterior patios for each and every of the apartments, building keyless entry, growing the insulation in the partitions, adding lights outside, introducing surveillance, replacing the flooring, refurbishing aged flooring, eradicating the asphalt at the entrance of the making, filling the front of building with greenery and a courtyard, introducing planter boxes at the rear of the developing, introducing complete kitchen and stroll-in showers in every device and creating the setting up handicap helpful.

Even though the homeowners have created a large amount of variations, they also tried to maintain some of the history of the initial constructing. Chalk boards and some wooden flooring are still in location, along with coat closets and a flagpole designed from the wood of a ship’s mast.

“For lots of decades we have regarded carrying out some thing like this in a number of different communities and it just didn’t really work,” said Jim. “Here it labored. The (Washingtonville) borough’s direct fascination in restoring the home, in conjunction with the (Montour) county’s interest in bringing this back again to lifestyle, we’ve experienced a wonderful offer of support.”

The DeLong Village is a schoolhouse apartment constructing neighborhood that is for unbiased living seniors.

“This is just independent dwelling, but we have proven a partnership with RiverWoods in Lewisburg to serve as a assist system for our people,” explained Jim. “Should an crisis occur, they will have, through the social situations and the educational situations that we share, somewhat of an practical experience and an understanding of what RiverWoods is. Must that emergency come up, there will be some convenience in figuring out that that is a reputable possibility. So, despite the fact that we’re not controlling well being ourselves administratively, we are creating those associations and we’re producing interactions with other ongoing treatment retirement communities, so our people have even extra consolation with far more alternatives.”

DeLong Village also intends to deliver community situations for the citizens and will offer some features as properly.

“One of the most important goals of the administrator is to construct on the curiosity of the citizens,” mentioned Jim. “For instance, if they really like canning, then we will established up a canning course for all those who might want to master more about canning.”

They intend to create a micro-local community with no much more than 48 citizens on the home. Jim and Ginny imagine that this will allow for more a single-on-one particular with the inhabitants.

Presently, the project is in phase two which will involve the building of the two-bed room cottages and ending the renovations on the reduce amount. They are also wanting for opportunity citizens for a single-bed room residences at this level, and have been doing tours and open residences for these fascinated.

Renovations for the creating value $965,000 and have been privately funded.

Jim acknowledged the assistance of graphic designer Victor Koons, who was integral in internet marketing and designed a brand, and Mark Wetherhold of KW Benefit Realty, who assisted with the acquisition of the property.

For more information on DeLong Village, stop by www.your55pluscommunity.com.