Building [With] Character

Logos Academy repurposes historic architecture and cultivates hope for community

BY: JONATHAN DESMARAIS | Marketing & Communications Manager

Located at 250 West King Street in the WeCo District of Downtown York, Logos Academy is a faith-based private, K-12 school that “educates for excellence, offers opportunity, and cultivates hope in [the] community.” Founded in 1998 and originally housed in two separate church facilities, Logos opened the doors of their newly renovated historic building on W. King Street in 2012. The land on which Logos Academy currently stands has seen its fair share of history over the years. From the homestead of early settler Baltzer Spangler in the mid-1700s who played an important role in the founding of Yorktowne, to the millworks and family home of JC Fallon in the 1800s, the York Stock Yards at the turn of the 20th Century, a paper recycling facility, and now the home of a high achieving school that graduates young men and women of intellect and character, 250 W. King has long been the home of history makers.

For more than 20 years, Logos Academy has offered a pathway out of poverty. Despite a student body where two-thirds are at or below the federal poverty level, the school has closed the achievement gap, with students performing well above national averages on both standardized tests and the SAT. But academic success is not the school’s only focus; building character is essential. In promoting their mission, the school states, “imagine how bright our community’s future will be as more future leaders are equipped with skills, learning, faith, integrity, respect, love of community, a spirit of service, and the acumen to sustain successful careers.”

As a community-minded school, Logos not only looks to foster relationships between their students, families, and staff, but to be good neighbors with the community as well. Incorporating the original light tower designed in the 1800s by famous York architect, John A. Dempwolf, the building at 250 W. King showcases an aesthetic blend of 19th century character and modern-day functionality. Featuring an eco-friendly design, the repurposed historical building is LEED-certified, upholding high standards of energy efficiency, air quality, soil remediation, water consumption, and more.

The historic Cadillac Building showroom at 255 W. King Street, across the street from Logos Academy, is the location of the campus expansion project.

PHOTO CREDIT: Logos Academy

Now as the student body of Logos Academy continues to grow, serving more families, renovations have begun on the historic Cadillac Building across West King Street. Repurposing the original 1937 automobile showroom across the street at 255 W. King, the campus expansion will be completed in two phases, with the first phase set to open in November of 2021, and the second shortly thereafter.

Rendering of Campus Expansion Project

PHOTO CREDIT: Logos Academy

The campus expansion will maintain the art deco design of the existing structure and repurpose other existing building characteristics, while gaining a new space for the visual arts, a state-of-the-art science lab, and additional classroom and office space. The project will allow Logos Academy to serve an additional 200 students. To learn more about Logos Academy and its campus expansion, go to logosyork.org.