ROOM YOU KNOW NUMBER
The Gillespie Middle School has been cleaned once a month since its closure.
“We clean up the leaves and cut the grass,” said Joe Conti, a school district employee who was trimming the trees around Gillespie. “Graffiti is the biggest problem.”
The school district bought the property Gillespie stands on in 1927. The building was placed on the register of the National Historical Commission in 1988, and was closed in 2009 because of the age and condition of the building. There is still a lot of foot traffic in the area due to the Simon Gratz High School that is located nearby. Gillespie is one of the most expensive properties still on the market at $1.35 million.
The Education Services Building, located at 427-437 Monroe St. in South Philadelphia, is another well-maintained building for sale by the school district. This Queen Village property was acquired by the district in 1971 to house administrative and field offices. The building was closed in June 2011 because the offices were moved.
According to reports done by Benjamin Herold of NewsWorks, there has been a lot of activity surrounding this property since its closure. The Education Services Building sits on a shaded street directly across from the Meredith Elementary School, which is a major draw for young families in the neighborhood.
“Meredith is an oversubscribed school,” Jeff Hornstein, president of the Queen Village Neighbors Association told NewsWorks. “The school district owns a building 50 yards away. So some people have asked why that doesn’t just become Meredith’s annex?”
