1-room schoolhouse in Haysville undergoes dramatic transformation
Haysville Councilman Lou Paff remembers his early childhood education fondly. He went to school from 1942 to 1950 in the building that used to serve as Haysville’s one-room schoolhouse. Paff, 83, still remembers his teacher’s name: Martha Davis.
The schoolhouse served around 30 to 40 kids, he said, in grades one to eight. He walked to the schoolhouse with his peers by crossing the rails that divide the borough from north and south.
“It was an advantage to have everyone together,” Paff said. “I heard the lessons several times, I couldn’t avoid it. So by the time (the lessons) were for me, I knew about it already. We were all in one big room. I learned a lot just by being there.”
That building is set to serve a new purpose.
Stephanie Harkins of the North Hills purchased the building in 2019. A native of northeastern Pennsylvania, Harkins has big plans for her new chiropractic office in the old schoolhouse. The doors to Q3R Chiropractic & Sports Performance opened in April after a total remodel.
“It was gutted. We started it right away, but it was a process. Everything had to be done. The pandemic didn’t help either. There were a lot of delays,” Harkins said.
Harkins, 31, a doctor of chiropractic care, earned her degree from the University of Western States in Portland, Ore., in 2015. She interned with the chiropractor for the Seattle Seahawks and then worked for a practice in the city for a few years before moving back to Pennsylvania to start her own business.
Harkins said she looked all over the Pittsburgh area, but nothing quite felt right for what she wanted to do. She said when she walked into the Haysville building, which belonged to Schurman’s, a cabinets and furniture store, she knew it was the place.
“I just fell in love with the building as soon as I walked in,” she said. “It’s such a great space.”
Paff’s wife, Catherine, is excited the building has some new life. She also serves on Haysville council with her husband.
“I haven’t had a chance to walk through, but the borough will give (Harkins) a bouquet of flowers here soon. But what we can see of it, it looks good. We’re glad to have the business here,” she said.
Harkins grew up in Larksville, near Scranton, but she always liked Pittsburgh’s vibe.
“My family would come out for sporting events growing up, and I looked at schools out here. It’s just a unique-looking city. It’s very different – I love all the bridges. There’s a sense of community here,” she said.
The inside of the building is mostly finished, featuring a physical rehabilitation area, three chiropractic bays, an office and a golf biomechanics 3D analysis center.
The schoolhouse was in the room that is now occupied by Harkins’ golf analysis equipment. She said she remembers finding the chalkboards still on the walls.
The golf center uses four sensors to analyze a golfer’s swing. The sensors, she said, isolate problem areas to help work on specific parts of the swinging motion.
She hopes the golf center – which could someday analyze athletes’ motions in other sports – makes her practice unique. She is also hoping to install a synthetic ice rink for young hockey players on the building’s second level.
Harkins said the main rink will feature a regulation-size net and the “ice” will not ruin blades.
“I figured ice time is really limited so it would be a great opportunity for hockey players to have a place to practice,” she said.
Harkins hopes to finish the rinks – one larger area with a net and a smaller area for younger players – by the end of summer or early fall.
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