Remembering

the IC School Fire

September 12, 1971 was a sad day in the history of Immaculate Conception Parish.  It was on this day that our beloved school was set on fire, a fire that destroyed the building and eventually resulted in its demolition. 

Our school was built in 1903.  It was staffed by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (aka IHM nuns).  For 67 years, that building was used to educate thousands of children of Immaculate Conception Parish.

The fire that destroyed the school was deliberately set by two local youths who, apparently, broke into the principal's office looking for money and when they didn't find any, set it afire to cover their tracks. 

I still lived in East Germantown at the time and still remember the fire vividly. It was a Sunday night after 11:00pm and word spread quickly throughout the neighborhood that the school was on fire.  The forming crowds were kept at a distance as the firefighters fought to get the fire under control.  I, myself, stood in the 1000 block of Price Street, with a clear view of the school.  It was a 5-alarm blaze and took about an hour to get it under control.  Seeing our school on fire is an image I'll never forget.  

I also recall seeing the school building as it was later being torn down.  I was a student at Cardinal Dougherty High School at the time, and would wait for the "K" bus on the corner of Chelten Avenue and Sprague Street.  I forget how long it took to tear down the old school, but it was at least a week, probably several.  I would see the progress made on the teardown, before school and after school.  At times, after school, I would just stand there watching the work progress made on taking down that grand old building.  It was sad....   I never quite understood why the Commercial Building and the School Annex were torn down as well as neither appeared to be all that damaged.  Maybe there was extensive water damage that just wasn’t apparent to the outside observer. 

At the time of the fire, the school still had an enrollment of over 800 kids.  Initially, there was talk of building a new school but, after considering the changing demographics already taking place in the neighborhood, it was an option the parish decided not to pursue.  As it turned out, it was best because, within 15 years, Immaculate Conception School was consolidated with St. Athanasius School at their West Oak Lane location because of declining enrollment.

In the aftermath of the fire, it was decided to temporarily conduct classes at the old Holy Rosary School building, within the Parish Hall and at St. Benedict’s School.  Holy Rosary School closed for good the previous June but could not be used as a long-term solution because it was already committed to St. Vincent Parish, whose school building had been condemned.  The long-term solution that was decided was to convert portions of the Parish Hall into classroom space and Immaculate Conception School would then operate at that location.

After the fire, Immaculate Conception School closed down for a week until the former Holy Rosary school building and the Parish Hall could be readied. 

Nowadays, nearly 40 years later, I'm still saddened every time I see that empty lot where the school building once stood, where I, and thousands others like me, received our fine elementary education.

Truly, a sad chapter in the history of Immaculate Conception Parish.