“Adaptive reuse” is one of the most popular buzz phrases in today’s economic development circles. Here in the Susquehanna Valley, there are numerous, exciting new uses for old, abandoned architectural icons. Like phoenixes rising from the ashes, these historic structures are breathing new life into our towns and cities, sparking innovation and economic prosperity.
Photo courtesy Suzanne Stallings, City of Lancaster
Lancaster Marriott Hotel at Penn Square and Lancaster County Convention Center
Lancaster:
Preserving Architecture and Character
“Adaptive reuse has been a trend in Lancaster for decades,” says Randy Patterson, director of economic development and neighborhood revitalization for the city. “One of the benefits is that architectural integrity is retained within the community. One of the keys to Lancaster’s adaptive reuse was the adoption of heritage conservation districts in the 1990s, which is in essence a four-square-mile area where you are not allowed to demolish properties without permission.”
One of the most visible examples is the former Watt and Shand department store, built in the Beaux Arts style on Penn Square during the 1870s. The facade was retained, with the building demolished to give rise to the Lancaster Marriott Hotel at Penn Square and Lancaster County Convention Center in 2009.
Patterson says there are 15 to 18 architectural styles within Lancaster’s central hub. Many of the city’s industries have come and gone, leaving structures like old silk mills and tobacco warehouses.
“What you will find most often in Lancaster is the conversion of warehouses to residential properties,” Patterson says, citing properties along Charlotte Street and Harrisburg Pike, the former—warehouse-turned—Lancaster Arts Hotel, and three warehouses along North Prince Street converted to mixed use—the Swisher, Buckwalter, and Lancaster Press Buildings.
“It’s because of adaptive reuse that we are a magnet for both millennials and those 55 and older,” Patterson says.
He says a cycle is created by adaptive reuse. “It’s not just that we have an active downtown with art, restaurant, and food options; it makes it a beautiful city, architecturally interesting. Taking buildings that have been abandoned and reassessed at new values brings new earned-income taxes to the city, and the residential units support the small business community.”
Lancaster-based architecture firm LeFevre and Funk, specializing in adaptive reuse, is appropriately located within the Keppel Building, which they redesigned. Originally built in 1913 for cigar manufacturing, the building was best known as Lancaster’s leading chocolatier for more than 70 years.
The project was “like a Rubik’s cube,” says M. Melanie Burnette, principal at LeFevre and Funk. “It has over 70,000 square feet of space, and because the buildings were built from the mid-1800s through this century against each other, there were 19 different floor levels and 40 inches of brick in some places,” she recalls.
She says adaptive reuse brings both challenges and rewards. “To mesh new technology into existing historical structural systems and components is a challenge,” Burnette says. But she sees the primary reward as unique buildings that once again “contribute to the streetscape.”
More Urban Upcycling in Lancaster (THEN -> NOW)
- Lancaster Cork Works -> Urban Place (including the Cork Factory Hotel)
- Bulova Building -> 101NQ (mixed-use)
- Lancaster School of the Bible -> Apartments at 128 N. Mulberry
- Former Lancaster Post Office -> Lancaster City Hall
- Posey Ironworks -> Lancaster Ironworks Apartments
- Hamilton Watch Company -> Clock Towers (condos) / The New School of Lancaster
- Farmer’s First National Bank, Marietta -> First National Escape (escape room attraction)
- Lancaster Trust Co. -> Trust Performing Arts Center / Lancaster Bible College
- Former Rose Bowl & Italian American Club -> Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen
- Gam Manufacturing -> Passenger Coffee Roasters
- Former cotton mill -> Carter and MacRae Elementary School
Photo by Halkin Mason Photography
Ewing Cole
Susquehanna Art Museum
Harrisburg:
Banking on Adaptive Reuse
Whereas Lancaster developed around a tight city square, the city of Harrisburg grew in concentric circles, incorporating a “hodge-podge of industries,” says Geoffrey Knight, the city’s planning director. He says historic markers throughout the city depict adaptive reuse by showing historic streetscape photos compared to present views.
One of the city’s shining gems of adaptive reuse is the Susquehanna Art Museum (SAM), occupying the former Keystone Bank building built in 1916. Knight says banks present numerous challenges, including teller spaces, vaults, and larger interior spaces—all of which the SAM successfully incorporated into their design. “Moving up Third Street to a new space not only allowed them to expand their gallery space and offerings, but it now drives more traffic into the midtown area.”
He cites the Harrisburg YWCA, in the former Greek Revival-style Sylvan Heights Mansion at Market and Cameron Streets, as “a great example of adaptive reuse that benefits the entire community.”
Accessibility often presents challenges to historic structures, says Knight, but overall, Harrisburg has seen an influx of new residents and businesses thanks to adaptive reuse. He says there’s a saying that guides development today—“The greenest building is one that’s already standing.”
Photo courtesy Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau
The Vault
Carlisle:
Generating Jobs and Housing
In Carlisle, three key manufacturers left town 10 years ago and “left a hole in the community,” says Jonathan Bowser, CEO, Cumberland Area Economic Development Corporation (CAEDC). Just recently, a subsidiary of his organization announced plans to purchase and redevelop one of those facilities, the former Tyco Electronics site built in the mid-1970s.
Bowser says the facility simply isn’t a candidate for adaptive reuse, but the three-and-a-half-acre site is. “The nuances of dealing with a contaminated, blighted site make it challenging for developers to get involved, but pulling together public resources and financing—as an economic development agency, that’s what we do,” he says.
Plans call for mixed-use, creating office and retail space along with a brewpub. Bowser says the entire project could create 200-300 new jobs, generate $100,000 in new real estate taxes, and put a new “destination” on Carlisle’s map.
In terms of adaptive reuse of existing buildings, Bowser says the former Carlisle Wheel House was converted into lofts, condos, and commercial space. Carlisle’s former Masland Carpet facility is under construction, also being converted into housing. Cumberland County’s former Lemoyne Middle School is being evaluated for potential retail or residential use, says Bowser.
In Camp Hill, business owner Michael Heiter acquired the former Masonic Lodge, constructed in 1936 with concrete and steel, and reimagined it into Dissolve Float Spa in 2016. “Camp Hill borough officials were very excited about us repurposing a bit of an iconic building,” Heiter says.
Bowser reflects, “I think in general, as Americans, we become very creative when we’re forced to; you’re seeing that in real estate, in technology. Developers, both private and public, are thinking creatively outside the box.”
More Urban Upcycling in Cumberland/Harrisburg (THEN -> NOW)
- Carlisle Deposit Bank & Trust Company -> The Vault (wedding venue)
- Historic grist mill, c. 1780, Pine Grove Furnace State Park -> Appalachian Trail Museum
- Sun Motors -> Ever Grain Brewing Co.
- Stokes Millwork -> The Millworks (restaurant, craft brewery, artist studios, shop)
- Masonic Temple -> LUX Luxury Condominiums
- Harrisburg Passenger Railway Co. and Harrisburg Trolley Works -> Appalachian Brewing Company
Photo courtesy Destination Gettysburg
Mason Dixon Distillery
Boiling Springs and Gettysburg:
Preserving Small Town America
Just south of Carlisle, in Boiling Springs, the Village Artisans Gallery houses the works of 200 artists in a converted church, circa 1875, that closed in 1994. “I saw the space and thought it was perfect,” says owner P.J. Heyman. “It has character with high ceilings and original wood floors; I felt like it was critical to preserve the integrity of the building. Boiling Springs is such an example of small town America.”
Her advice to others considering adaptive reuse projects? “Find a good builder, someone with the same kind of vision that can relate to what you want to do.”
Meantime, Mason Dixon Distillery is rewriting history in downtown Gettysburg. The small batch distillery and restaurant occupies the former Gettysburg Furniture Factory built in 1901. Owned and operated by the father-son team of George and Yianni Barakos, Mason Dixon opened two years ago after a renovation process that Yianni describes as “arduous” but worth the effort.
“The character that an older building has just cannot be found in new construction. It took a little vision to see the beauty of it, but hand-hewn logs, handmade bricks, random gouges in the floor—it really spoke to me,” Yianni says. “If your business has a really live, vibrant soul, then an old building with soul is worth it.”
Photo courtesy Yohn Properties
One West Iron Horse
York:
From Industry to Education
Industrial manufacturing facilities are the focus of adaptive reuse projects in York, according to Silas Chamberlin, CEO, Downtown Inc. “York County became a manufacturing powerhouse…growing exponentially during World War II,” says Chamberlin.
Today, York’s educational facilities are boosted by adaptive reuse. Chamberlin says an “impressive” and award-winning example is the York College Center for Community Engagement, occupying the former Lafayette Club. “This vast building went from exclusive, limited use to being turned over as a community asset,” he says.
Additionally, he says the York Academy Regional Charter School is housed in the former Smyser-Royer Foundry; the pre-Civil War structure was preserved and enhanced with a modern extension.
Currently, the York County History Center occupies multiple downtown York buildings, but it has embarked on a multi-million dollar project to merge into one facility—the long-vacant Med-Ed plant. “One of our goals is to draw more people to downtown; this project will definitely do that,” Chamberlin says.
Overall, Chamberlin believes adaptive reuse multiplies thanks to momentum. “People have realized the thing that sets communities apart is their historic fabric. There was a time when cities tore things down, but now there’s a big shift away from that because communities can find competitive advantage in urban renewal. And once a couple companies and developers have success and gain expertise—the banks financing the projects for example—it gets easier for future projects. It’s almost like second nature.”
More Urban Upcycling in York (THEN -> NOW)
- Green Hill Evangelical Association (church) -> Victor’s of York (restaurant)
- Maple Press and Bi-Comp (printing company) -> Think Loud Studios
- Keystone Color Works (wallpaper company) -> Loft-style apartments
- Bear Department Store, Continental Square -> mixed-use including Iron Horse York restaurant
- Former janitorial supplies warehouse -> The Bond (events venue)
- F. W. Woolworth -> REVI Flats (apartments)
- Hotel Codorus -> architecture firm Murphy & Dittenhafter
- Hanover Shoe Factory -> apartments, townhouses and the Hanover Fire Department Museum
- Former silk mill/warehouse -> John Wright Restaurant
- National Guard Armory building -> Keystone Kidspace (currently underway)
