State School 2838 opened in 1887 on Whitehorse Road. The site proved unsuitable for growing enrolments and in 1920 was moved to a new double-storey brick building in Station Street, alongside Box Hill Gardens. Enrolments reached 946 in 1953 but had declined significantly by the early 1990s. This led to a ‘merger’ with Box Hill North Primary and Koonung Heights Primary at the end of 1993. The result of a ‘quality provision task force’ decision, it meant consolidation on the Box Hill North site, and closure for the other two schools. The Box Hill site was sold ($1,950,000) and the Uniting AgeWell facility opened in 2000.
Then
Now
Furthermore
The aged-care facility that replaced Box Hill Primary, Uniting AgeWell Box Hill Community, looks like a series of rooftops from Station Street. The slope of the land was not a problem for the magnificent two-storey school, but its single-storey replacement is barely visible from the street.
Links
I grew up in Box Hill – public Facebook group, based on the suburb rather than the school