Historic South Jersey School Sold, Will Become Housing

HAMILTON TWP., NJ — An Atlantic County school listed on both the National and State Register of Historic Places will be getting a new life as housing, officials said.

The historic Duberson School in Hamilton Township was sold to Duberson Lofts LLC, an affiliate of Odin Properties, who will rehabilitate the historic building for residential use, the Hamilton Township Board of Education announced.

“We are excited to see the Duberson School building restored and once again serving the community,” Nanci Barr, Hamilton Township School Board president, said in a statement.

The school was built in 1927-1928 as Mays Landing High School; its name was changed in 1972 in honor of J. Harold Duberson, who was a long-time vice president of the Hamilton Township Board of Education.

It hasn't operated as a school since 2005, but remains an important landmark for the Mays Landing community.

Duberson Lofts LLC plans to bring new life to the site by restoring the building for residential use, preserving its historic character while contributing to the revitalization of the surrounding neighborhood, according to the school board. The property also includes the Mays Landing Water Works building, a one-story brick structure likely constructed in 1907 as a pump station.

“This project represents both a preservation of our past and an investment in our future,” said Warren Nelson, Township Committee member and former Hamilton Township Board of Education president.