It's been nearly five years since Juyoung Choi of New York City purchased the former Jefferson Street Elementary School to open a Goshen Theological Seminary.
The lawn could use a mow and phonebooks are stacking up on the front steps, but besides that the school hasn't seen much activity.
Choi had originally set the opening date for classes as the 2009-2010 academic year, and would offer financial aid for the following 2010-2011 academic year.
The seminary had expected to accept 25 students per year and also planned to offer three master's degrees programs: Master of Divinity, Master of Theology and Master of Divinity/Master of Music.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the proper documentation to operate as a seminary hasn't been filed or approved.
Deuel Paik, ministry member, said they still intend to use the site because they "don't want to waste time and the building."
He could not say when the school would open and described the process of filing with the PDE as "difficult."
There is a regional-based Goshen Theological Seminary in Indiana, but officials haven't applied for or been granted a certificate of authority to operate in Pennsylvania.
The PDE spokesperson said church and religious organizations that conduct class but do not issue degrees do not need PDE approval.
There are Goshen theological seminaries in Indiana, Kansas and Missouri, and the goal is to still open the the Goshen Theological Seminary in Warren, Paik said adding the process to open a site in Pennsylvania and Kentucky has not been easy.
"We try it but the processing is so difficult," he said.
In March 2011 vandals broke into the former Jefferson Street Elementary School and destroyed two classrooms and stole numerous items.
Damage was estimated at about $3,000; the items stolen were valued at about $3,000 as well.