Allegra Arts Center to Open Soon in Historic Harlingen School House

By Barbara A. Preston | Posted Nov. 14, 2024

Donnetta Bishop-Johnson already achieved her dream of establishing a significant arts community in Central New Jersey by founding and growing the Allegra School of Music and Arts in Hillsborough.

She plans to expand exponentially in early 2025 into a charming 1920 school building on 1.3 acres in the Harlingen section of Montgomery Township.

She recently bought the property for $934,000 from the Gasior family, which had operated a high-quality furniture store in the old school building. Her space will increase from 2,200 SF over Joe's Pizza on Route 206 in Hillsborough to almost 14,000 SF in the 2-story school building, including a 3.360 SF warehouse in the backyard.

The warehouse alone is about the size of two volleyball courts. "Miz Donnetta," as her students call her, envisions someday converting the warehouse into a live performance space.

Harlingen School was built circa 1920 on Route 206 and West Dutchtown-Harlingen Road in Montgomery Township. The building will return to its initial roots as an education institution as The Allegra School for Music and the Arts.

The Allegra School

Bishop-Johnson runs the 350-student Allegra school with her 35-year-old son, Jordan Johnson. She is executive director and he is co-director. She is a drama and musical theater instructor, and he is a piano and saxophone instructor.

They also have a cast of 17 instructors who teach voice, drums, brass and woodwind, violin, guitar, and ukulele.

Donnetta Bishop-Johnson of Hillsborough in the rose room of her new Montgomery Township location. The old school house was owned by Gasior's Furniture. She will renovate the interior of the building back to its original purpose a a school, and the rose wallpaper will be going away. (Photo by Barbara A. Preston)

Bishop-Johnson grew up in Brooklyn, where she says she developed a passion for the arts. She also is a businesswoman who studied math and computer science at Pace University, and developed a successful career as an IT professional. She left her job as programmer and senior project manager at AT&T in 1999 to pursue her love of the arts and opened The Allegra School of Music and Arts.

"There was no music school in Hillsborough at the time, and my mother always taught me that you have to create the world that you want to live in," she said.

Gasior's Furniture operated out of the old school building for decades.

In addition to Allegra, Bishop-Johnson served as executive director of the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum (SSAAM) on Hollow Road in Skillman — Central New Jersey’s first Black history museum. The grounds include in the National Historic Register-listed Mt. Zion AME Church and the Reasoner/True House. She recently resigned from SSAAM to focus on expanding the Allegra School.

"I loved working with SSAAM, restoring the farmstead to African American ownership and building a museum.

"This is returning me to my roots," she told The Montgomery News during a tour of her own historic building. 

Advertisement

In addition to offering music lessons and acting workshops for children and adults at all levels, Bishop-Johnson says the Montgomery location will offer even more. The school will offer photography, visual arts, and become truly integrated into the community.

"It's no mistake that I am making this move to Montgomery," she said. "I love it here."

Allegra's 25th anniversary is this year. She hopes to maybe have a celebration in her new space in December, and to open her new location in the first quarter of 2025. ■

Advertisement

American Repertory Ballet