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May 20, 2023

York's first public school, now concert venue, joins National Register for Historic Places

Reporter The National Register of Historic Places announced in June it has added

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The National Register of Historic Places announced in June it has added the McCelvey Center in York to its list. The structure, which dates nearly back to the turn of the 20th Century, was York's first public school.

YORK — Amidst a yearlong closure to repair its roof, the McCelvey Center in York has been added to the National Register of History Places, according to its caretaker, Cultural & Heritage Museums.

The center was originally the town's first public school building, built in 1902, with its auditorium added in 1922. The site was used as a school until 1987, with Cultural & Heritage taking stewardship of it in 2001.

Since then, it has served as a performing arts venue and housed items for other museum properties.

McCelvey, sitting on East Jefferson Street in York, joins 1,500 South Carolina locations on the National Register, according to the state's Department of Archives and History. It is listed on the register as "York Graded School."

National Register properties are eligible for some financial incentives, and some are given limited protection from the impact of state or federally assisted projects. A listing does not guarantee the preservation of the properties, officials said.

There is no information about when visitors can again walk through the center or sit down for a show there. Spokeswoman Marie Cheek said estimates are still being prepared for the cost to fix the roof and there's no plans to schedule any shows there through next year.

In March 2022, the museum announced the closure on its Facebook page.

"The truss over the stage had failed and was sagging up to about 9 inches," officials said in the post. "We closed the auditorium immediately for safety."

A few updates have been shared on the Facebook page in the last year. The sagging was determined to be a break in the truss.

When it was a school, the center was previously known as York Elementary School and McCelvey Elementary School. It was christened the latter in honor of former principal George C. McCelvey, who held the title from 1912 to 1948.

Cultural & Heritage also manages Historic Brattonsville in McConnells, the Main Street Children's Museum in Rock Hill and the Museum of York County in Rock Hill.

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Lamaur Stancil writes about government, business, schools and entertainment in York County. He can be reached at 803-687-3436 or at Twitter at @LamaurStancil

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