Thousands of children, teachers, visitors, and families have walked the Chancellor Center’s hallways where students once learned arithmetic, English, and history in its classrooms.
More than 154 years since it was built in 1871, the Chancellor Center still contributes to Council Rock School District pupil education as the home of the district’s administrative team.
While millions of dollars in restoration costs could put the building’s future in question, district officials emphasized there are no current plans or preliminary decisions regarding its future – or its usefulness.
“I understand the idea to keep the district offices here. At this time there are no plans regarding the Chancellor Center. There are ideas, suggestions, wants and needs but no plans,” said Andrea Mangold, Council Rock director of district communications and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) program director.
Currently in the early stages of its 10-year district-wide facilities master plan process, Council Rock officials will evaluate facilities and student services needs at all of its buildings, Mangold said.
Council Rock operates two high schools; two middle schools, 10 elementary schools and one alternate school, The STAR Center, according to its website. The school district serves students in five municipalities: Newtown Borough; Newtown, Northampton, Upper Makefield and Wrightstown townships.
However, some local citizens are concerned about the Chancellor Center’s future and have been organizing in the community to raise public awareness and support to preserve what they call the “crown jewel of Council Rock School District and historic gem in the heart of Newtown Borough.”
Charyl Hills a Newtown native, resident and a retired Council Rock elementary school teacher is one of three generations of her family to attend Chancellor when it operated as a school building. Hills is also a member of Newtown Historic Association.
“Both my mom and dad went there [to Chancellor] and they became high school sweethearts. I really owe my existence to that building because that’s where they met,” Hills said.
She attended Chancellor from Grades K-3; and her daughter attended
Chancellor from Kindergarten through first grade before its closure as a district school building in 2003, Hill said.
“The best use of the Chancellor building would [be to] remain as a district building – it’s centrally located for everyone in the surrounding district. It’s majestic, and its history [is rich],” Hill said.
Built in 1871, Chancellor Street School has been a staple in the Newtown Community for more than 150 years.
Quarried from locally sourced Neshaminy brownstone, a popular “soft” and easily workable sandstone material was dug from Mitchell’s Quarry. Mitchell’s Quarry predates the location of the Tyler Estate, which is the home of Bucks County Community College today.
The Chancellor building cost $4,861.55 to construct in 1871, according to a post on the Newtown Historic Association’s Facebook page.
Among other ideas to address district facilities include closing Rolling Hills of Wrightstown elementary schools and creating a kindergarten center or a new elementary school, according to Marilyn Smith-Scarpa, a Newtown resident and supporter of keeping the Chancellor Center open as the district’s offices.
The district owns developed and “undeveloped” properties, including the Howe’s Tract, which could be part of a new master facilities plan.
While the Wrightstown Howe’s Tract currently operates as a sod farm it is owned by the school district. What to do with the Howe’s tract property has been a past facilities discussion topic, according to Smith-Scarpa.
In 2017, then school board directors considered closing either Rolling Hills Elementary School in Northampton or Wrightstown Elementary School in favor of building a new school on the Howe’s tract, according to a PhillyBurb.com report. No action was taken then and both schools remain open today.
In November 2024, a “Save Chancellor Center” group was formed with about 40 people, Smith-Scarpa said.
“There is so much history there. There is a military presentation honoring the students who were at that building during World War II and went into service overseas. And in 2000, we gave service members honorary diplomas,” Smith-Scarpa explained.
She said the original bell tower was restored and remains intact. Historic classrooms are replicas of original classrooms. Wooden doors were refurbished and restored to appear as they did when they were first built and installed in the 1800s.
Chancellor is the only district building located in Newtown Borough. Smith-Scarpa believes the building’s value makes it worth preserving and using.
“The Chancellor Center needs anywhere from $6 million to $16 million in repairs and renovation,” Smith-Scarpa said.
From HVAC to water damage and foundation issues, Smith-Scarpa said repairs “have been kicked down the road for the last few years” but that the building’s problems are not beyond repair.
Smith-Scarpa said estimates for the construction of a new administration building topped “at least $70 million from the most recent capital planning document.”
Construction management firm CHA Consulting and architectural and engineering design firm SCHRADERGROUP of Conshohocken were hired to create an overall facilities master plan. A draft plan was presented at a district facilities committee meeting February 6. No timeline for the planning process was given.
Mangold said “the dialogue is just beginning.”
“For each facility we have we’ve recently been provide with ages of the buildings what it needs and potential things for [each] building. Those things have not been discussed, explored, planned for or arbitrated,” she said.
Mangold said demographic projections (for enrollments) at the elementary, middle and high school building levels will help administrators and school board members determine the best plan for Council Rock’s facilities moving forward.
But Smith-Scarpa points out that “all of the alternatives are at least triple or more of the cost to repair the [Chancellor] building.”
Talk of renting administrative space – rather than owning the building in which school district personnel work could end up costing “hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, being at the mercy of a landlord and the cost of paying repairs. The cost [to repair Chancellor] is not that much – considering what the alternatives would cost,” she added.
A Chancellor Center advocate since 1995, Smith-Scarpa was part of the group which supported the construction of a second high school and locating the administrative offices to Chancellor.
“We could maintain an asset and a charming, beautiful building that makes an impression on people coming to the district. Historic buildings should mean something – everything can’t be disposable,” Smith-Scarpa said.
