DANVILLE - Geisinger Health System announced Tuesday it has entered into an agreement with The Society of the Sisters of Christian Charity of New Jersey to purchase the Holy Family Convent at 1 Montour Street.
Geisinger plans to convert two of the residential floors in the six-story convent to general office/conference space and construct additional surface parking.
The 19.18-acre, four-building property has been owned by the sisters since 1898, and the six-story retirement residence/personal care home and chapel were built in 1969. Last year, the sisters announced their intention to relocate the approximately 60 residents at the convent to a new facility in Mendham, N.J., and placed the property on the market.
The target closing date for the sale is Sept. 1. Current residents will continue to occupy the remainder of the buildings under a lease arrangement for up to 36 months from closing until the Mendham project is completed and the retired sisters are relocated. The sisters also intend to relocate the 147 graves in the on-site cemetery to another location.
"This purchase will benefit the Sisters as well as Geisinger and Danville," said Geisinger Health System Chief Support Services Officer Robert Davies. "The property has been on the market for more than a year, and with this sale it will continue to be an active part of the local community."
The Daily Item newspaper in Sunbury reported the building will be used for shared services, such as finance and purchasing, human resources, internal audits and legal. A Geisinger Health System official said the sale of the property could put the property on the tax rolls.