Coffee-Roasting Site Planned On East Marion Street In Lancaster

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Kyle Sollenberger often walks along East Marion Street with his children from his East Orange Street home to Musser Park.

He would pass the vacant, dilapidated building that was the former home of Gam Manufacturing.

An entrepreneur, Sollenberger began thinking about ways to better the neighborhood by reusing the building at 315 E. Marion St..

On Monday, Sollenberger and his architect laid out plans to members of Lancaster city’s Historical Commission.

A city cafe, which he declined to name, is interested in using the building to roast coffee. Previously, before the city’s Zoning Hearing Board, he said the cafe operators also would have a bakery in the building to prepare items for sale in the cafe.  Employee training also would occur there.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/828453_Coffee-roasting-site-planned-on-East-Marion-Street-in-Lancaster.html#ixzz2ONOqY3PT

Funds Sought To Restore Wilkes-Barre Irem Temple

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Luzerne County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WILKES-BARRE – The 107-year-old Irem Temple building, a historic landmark on North Franklin Street, once was Wilkes-Barre‘s primary public performance venue.

Today, the once-grand building has fallen into disrepair and has no heat, lights or electricity.  But city and chamber officials are trying to save it.

During a tour by flashlight Wednesday, Ross Macarty, vice president of community development, real estate and special projects for the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry, showed that water damage has taken a toll on the deteriorating building and thieves have stolen copper and brass inside over the past two months.

The Greater Wilkes-Barre Development Corp., an arm of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry, bought the building in 2005 for $992,000, using a combination of federal, state and chamber funds.  The chamber and city are seeking $2.4 million in state gaming funds to bring the building up to code and return it to use.

Read more:  http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/business/funds-sought-to-restore-wilkes-barre-irem-temple-1.1434055