A century ago, no expense was spared to build the downtown headquarters of Lancaster’s largest bank. Finished in 1912, the vision of Lancaster’s leading architect, C. Emlen Urban, resulted in one of Central Pennsylvania’s most stunning buildings. The bank failed in 1932 and the structure remained vacant for 50 years until efforts were waged to revitalize it for the arts.
AD’s Senior Associate, Christopher Brooks played a part in this transformation beginning in1995 when he help…
The crumbling facade of the vacant old theater to the casual onlooker is an eyesore. There are hundreds of them across North America. Once vibrant settings showcasing human creativity, these performing arts centers have fallen victim to the march of progress – abandoned in favor of more modern performing arts centers, cinematic megaplexes and home theater systems. Municipalities who serve as guardians to these buildings struggle with difficult choices: do they engage the services of a…