The former Montgomery Township Consolidated School building at 739 Bethlehem Pike was demolished on June 8, and generations of its students have shared memories.
The elementary school was built in the 1920s and housed kids until 1965. The building later became a fabric store and an Army-Navy shop before laying vacant for years.
According to North Penn Now, a car wash was approved for the property in early 2022:
Following a public hearing before Montgomery Township Board of Supervisors in February 2022, Caliber Capital LLC, of Atlanta, received unanimous land development approval to demolish the existing 46,914-square-foot building and construct a new 3,680-square-foot one-story Caliber Car Wash with associated drive aisles, vehicle stacking, and parking. The approval also tagged on some contingencies, such as always having three or more staff members on site and giving easements to make entrances and exits onto Bethlehem Pike and Horsham Road.
From the Montgomery Township Historical Society’s Facebook post:
The saddest TBT in quite awhile as we watch the venerable old Montgomery Township Consolidated School on Bethlehem Pike turned into a pile of rubble in the name of progress. The school welcomed children from Montgomery Township and surrounding communities until 1965, and served as a focal point for civic activities. We welcome any readers who attended school there to share their memories in the comment section below.
For a compendium of former students’ thoughts, reactions, and memories, you can read The Reporter’s article here.
Photos courtesy of the Montgomery Township Historical Society