Lancaster County PA Realty Check: Pennsylvania: Lancaster: Lancaster City

Lancaster Barnstormers Beat Newark Bears at Clipper Stadium

                     A beautiful July evening in Lancaster, PA!  The Lancaster Barnstormers are playing the Newark Bears.

 Starting pitcher Ben Fritz, #36.

We go into the ninth inning with Lancaster ahead 11-7.  Suddenly the Bears hit a home run with the bases loaded.  It's a tie game, 11-11.  Will Lancaster give up this hard-fought game?  Finally, in the bottom of the ninth, the Barnstormers pull it out at the last minute, 12-11!

Affordable Air-Conditioned Lancaster PA Townhouse

The price of this Lancaster town home has been once again reduced.  At this price it's a great value for an investor or an owner-occupant - and it's not going to last long at the bottom-line price of $65,000!

Take a look at the surprisingly nice interior at such a low price!

Here's a link to a video tour:

http://www.realestateshows.com/show.php?id=507345&traffic=0

Central air conditioning

Refinished Hardwood floors

Large rooms

Open floor plan

Three bedrooms

1.5 baths

Eat-in kitchen plus dining room

Expandable attic could make fourth bedroom

1766 Trinity Lutheran Church, Lancaster, PA

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity, located at 31 S. Duke Street, Lancaster, PA, is a beautiful example of 18th century brick Georgian architecture.

The congregation first formed in a small stone church in 1730.  The present church, started in 1761, was completed in 1766.

Trinity Church has one of the most complete archives in the United States.  The archives include church records of marriages, baptisms, and burials.

Records earlier than 1825 are recorded in old German script.  Many have since been translated into English.

 Many fine stained glass windows grace the church.  One was created by Louis Comfort Tiffany himself in 1913!  It was restored in 1990.  The photos of the spire were taken from an upper story of the Duke Street municipal parking garage.

Price Reduced on Lancaster PA Townhouse:

Now only $67,000! Central air conditioning, refinished hardwood floors, three bedrooms plus an expandable attic, and 1.5 baths.

                                                                      Large eat-in kitchen

For your own showing of this home, email brian@cbselectpros.com or call (717) 951-5552.

If you've passed Lancaster PA's Buchanan Park, located on Lancaster's West End at Buchanan and Race Avenue, you may have wondered why the small historic building, of almost doll house proportions, is located close to the middle of the park.  I had originally guessed that it might have once been a small schoolhouse.

In fact, the building is a miniature reproduction of the old Lancaster Courthouse.  During World War I, war bonds were sold from this small edifice, at the time located on Penn Square.

In recent years, the building has sat unused, its paint peeling and and its cupola leaning unsteadily.

Now Lancaster City Parks and Recreation plans to straighten up the cupola, paint and make other repairs with the help of students from the Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology.

Lancaster City Parks & Recreation will conduct a study toassess whether additional structural repairs may be needed to restore the building.

©BrianSchulman2009 

As the construction of the Lancaster PA Convention Center and Marriott Hotel reaches new heights, several historic buildings around it are being spared.  A $20 Million project is planned to preserve and restore the law offices of Thaddeus Stevens, and the next door home of his housekeeper and business manager, Lydia Hamilton Smith.

Thaddeus Stevens was born in 1792 and died in 1868.  He was a lifelong crusader against slavery, and is considered the driving force behind the 13th Amendment which abolished slavery, and the 14th and 15th Amendments, which granted equal rights, and the right (for all men) to vote.

Lydia Hamilton Smith, an African-American widow, became Stevens' housekeeper in 1847.  She accompanied him to Washington D.C. and managed his business affairs.  She eventually owned and managed her own properties in Washington D.C., Philadelphia and Lancaster, a remarkable achievement at that time in history.

The adjacent buildings will be restored to their original appearances, and set up as an interactive educational and historic site.  Additionally, archaeological excavations behind the homes have uncovered hundreds of historic relics going back to the 1700s. 

Importantly, evidence has been uncovered that strongly suggests that the buildings were part of the Underground Railroad through which slaves escaped to the North.  A large underground cistern has been excavated which would have been large enough to hide the refugees on their journey to freedom.

The Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology , Lancaster, PA was created with a bequest from Stevens' will.  When Thaddeus Stevens died, he was only the second dignitary ever to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda - the first being Abraham Lincoln himself. 

By the time the new Lancaster, PA Convention Cention Center and Marriott Hotel is finished in 2009, Lancaster's historic Penn Square will be getting a bit of a face lift as well.

Plans include new trees and plantings.  New lighting will be standardized.  Chairs and tables with protective umbrellas will be placed in the square, giving the area an outdoor cafe atmosphere!

New transportation routes are being planned in and out of the city, and the many art galleries, cafes and restaurants in the neighborhood are gearing up for the increasing number of visitors.    The First Friday of each month is a great time to see what's happening!  

Above to the left can be seen the 1798 Heritage Museum, once the old court house. 

The Victorian building houses the Central Farmer's Market, and to the right is the art nouveau Greist Building, the tallest building in Lancaster until the new Marriott Hotel and Convention Center surpasses it.

©BrianSchulman2008

Lancaster's Amtrak Train Station is an architectural gem.  Built in 1929, it is a familiar and dignified landmark in the city of Lancaster, PA.

Its Art Deco marble interior is reminiscent, on a small scale, of Grand Central Station in New York City.  Lancaster is the third busiest train station in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia and Harrisburg.

The main lobby features a soaring ceiling with art deco lighting fixtures and a magnificent glass paned ceiling insert.

Over the past decade, restoration has been ongoing, including painting and improvements to the heating system. 

The building will now be air conditioned.  Shops and restaurants will be built, and the parking lot enlarged.

        Ridership at the Amtrak Station is up 17% just since May due to the increased cost of driving!

            The current $12 Million renovation is scheduled to be completed by June of 2010.

©BrianSchulman2008

Hospital personnel will soon have an easier time crossing busy North Duke Street to get to Lancaster General Hospital.  Additionally, traffic on North Duke Street will no longer have to be delayed by crossing guards.

 A new pedestrian crossing is about to connect the hospital to Lancaster General's new Outpatient Services building, now under construction to the right of his photo, taken on North Duke Street facing south. 

The pedestrian crossing will connect two levels of the Outpatient Services building directly to the Hospital, at left, which is itself undergoing major improvements.  The emergency room and main entrance have been moved around the corner to E. James Street.

                The pedestrian crossing (at left) connects to the new Outpatient Services building.

This angle gives an indication of the size of this project.  A new parking garage can be seen at the rear.

©2008BrianSchulman

The construction of the Lancaster, PA Convention Center and Marriott Hotel is really picking up momentum!

The tower emerges from behind the original art nouveau facade of the Watt & Shand building it is preserving.

                              The front entrance of the Convention Center is taking shape.

                                    One of the new parking garages under construction.

From the side of the historic block, the new tower has reached the 12th floor!  The yellow loader sits where Reifsnyder Pianos once stood.  That building was lost in a fire.  The 200-year-old building to the left will be preserved.

                                          A beautiful day in Lancaster's Penn Square!

Lancaster PA Convention Center 11-10-07

Lancaster PA Convention Center 9-30-07

Lancaster Convention Center Construction 8-16-07

©2008BrianSchulman