When the Catasauqua Area School District sold the old North Catasauqua Elementary School building to the borough of North Catasauqua, it took on a second life as a borough municipal building. Despite its new use, hundreds of residents, as they drive by the Fourth Street facility, still attach many childhood memories to the place they spent so much of their early years.

The North Catasauqua Betterment Committee understood the importance of the building's history, and hosted an open house Sunday, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the opening of the building as a school in 1913.

Hundreds of current and former borough residents visited their old school during the open house Sunday. Many brought their children with them and shared memories of their school years. They were given access to the second floor of the building which is largely untouched since the building was turned over to the borough in 1976.

"This is the coat room," one woman told a friend as they walked through. "When you were bad, you had to stand in here. I spent half my school years in here."

Downstairs, on the first floor, one of the old classrooms is now used as a community room. Photos and memorabilia filled the tables and walls there, and a steady flow of visitors looked on, many of them finding themselves pictured. Reunions of long-unseen classmates brought woops of laughter shared memories.

While he did not find any photos of his time at the school during the late 1930s and early 1940s, 81-year-old George Case enjoyed the display. He was a student at the school for eight years. At the time, the school housed first through eighth grades.

"After that, we had to walk across the bridge to Hokendauqua to go the Whitehall High School," he said.

Down in the basement, guests gathered in a dining area to visit with friends and have some refreshments.

Donald Keener, who celebrates his 82nd birthday this week, attended the school at the same time as Case, between 1937 and 1945..

"Aggie Souders was principal then," Keener said. "She was strict. She gave hand slaps."

He attended along with his younger brother and sister, Walter and Constance.

"We lived on Fifth Street, so we didn't have too far to walk," he said.

Former Mayor Bill Molchany Sr. attended the open house with his son, current mayor Bill Molchany Jr.

The first Molchany mayor was in office when the school district sold the school to the borough.

"We bought the building for one dollar," he said.

Since then, the basement level has been remodeled for use by the North Catasauqua Fire Department. In addition to the community room, classrooms on the main floor have been redesigned for use as municipal administrative offices, a council meeting room and a police station. Most of the building was open for visitors to tour.

In the police station, Officer Tom Slapinsky manned the squadroom and took photos of visitors behind the bars of one of the confinement cells there.

The station also includes an interview room, desks for the full-time officers and private offices for a sergeant and the police chief.

Meanwhile, firefighter Dylan Moser was posted in the fire department's station, handing out fire safety booklets and plastic fireman's hats to children and answering questions about the station.

In hosting the open house, the betterment committee offered an enjoyable and educational afternoon for current and former community members to reminisce and to see how municipal services are handled in North Catasauqua today.