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Scranton Electric Building

This walking tour is a work in progress- more entries will be added soon

History of Scranton Pennsylvania Walking Tour

Train Collection and Structure
The most intriguing aspect of Steamtown is undoubtedly its collection of full-sized trains from several different companies, all of which&nbsp;cover nearly every decade of U.S. Railroad history. In terms of size, the locomotives at Steamtown range from the 1937 H.K. Porter Company&nbsp;industrial switcher engine to a huge Union Pacific "Big Boy" built in 1941 by the American Locomotive Company (Alco), and the oldest train is a 1903&nbsp;American Locomotive Compan freight engine.1Furthermore, because the site is located on a working railroad that incorporates much of the original 1902 DL&amp;W Scranton Roundhouse, the visitor center, museum theater, and other facilities transport visitors into a lifelike example of the original historic&nbsp;structure.&nbsp;The collection at Steamtown includes a variety of trains, such as the&nbsp; Canadian National 47, the Rahway Valley 15, and the Meadow River Lumber Company 1. Some of the collection’s locomotives are on display with cabs and other compartments that visitors can fully explore.
History and Technology of Steam Railroading Museum 
In addition to the locomotive collection, the History and Technology of Steam Railroading Museum at Steamtown&nbsp;tells the entire story of steam railroading. Self-guided and guided tours through the museum start in the theater, where an 18-minute film titled “Steel and Steam” showcases the careers associated with the railroad as well as the major changes to railroad life and technology that occurred in the 20th century.While walking through the museum, visitors can explore the timeline of the railroad in the United States, learn about the men and women who were part of&nbsp;the railroad and its associated industries, and learn about the other nuances&nbsp;of railroad life, such as through architecture, maintenance, disasters, and more.2
Short Train Rides and Excursions
Short rides on a few of Steamtown’s locomotives are only available seasonally, often in the summer months.&nbsp;The “Scranton Limited” ride includes a three-mile round trip that runs for about 30 minutes through the rail yards, across the Lackawanna River, past the historic Radisson at Lackawanna Station hotel, and along other sites in Scranton.&nbsp;On some Sundays, the “Scranton Limited” ride becomes into the acclaimed “Nay Aug Limited,” which is a longer, educational excursion that travels further east. Travelers on this ride pass along the Pocono Mainline and up towards the 755-foot Nay Aug Tunnel, and during the trip, park rangers or other volunteers offer an interpretive program. Most of these excurions also include a short stop&nbsp;above Nay Aug Park Gorge and Waterfall NNL.3

The steam locomotive was an essential piece of industrial transportation that paved the way for America’s vibrant economic growth and technological progress in the 19th and 20th centuries, and although it is quite rare to come across a functional steam locomotive today, the Steamtown National Historic Site presents everything the public would need to know about this crucial piece of American history. 

Run by the National Park Service (NHS), the Steamtown National Historic Site is a railroad museum and heritage center packed full of valuable artifacts, railroad-based exhibits, and a large collection of full-sized steam locomotives. Additionally, as the site is located on more than 40-acres of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W), visitors are able to tour an authentic roundhouse, visit a variety of trains up-and-close, and even take a ride on some truly powerful and fascinating trains. 

Steamtown National Historic Site

Historic Trolley Car Collection
Located in downtown Scranton next to the Steamtown National Historic Site, the Electric City Trolley Museum features the regional trolleys and other interurban trains that were once part of the Lackawanna and Wyoming Valley Railroad. Also, this museum&nbsp;offers rides on several of its functional trolleys.The historic trolley car collection at the museum includes over 25 former trolleys, including passenger and work trolleys as well as electric railway and industrial locomotives. Some specific trolleys can include the Delaware Electric Power Co. #120, Philadelphia Rapid Transit Co. #2282, and the 1920s MacAndrews and Forbes Co. #10.&nbsp;Despite the large collection, the museum only displays or operates a total of 10 trolleys at any given time, but if visitors want to see a specific trolley, they should call ahead to make sure that the trolley isn’t under restoration or at the off-site storage facility.1
What to See at the Museum&nbsp;
The Electric City Trolley Museum’s interpretive center is located within a recently restored, late 19th-century mill building, and the headquarters of this museum offers a wide variety of interactive exhibits, artifacts, and other educational displays.For example, the interactive and educational displays at the museum allow visitors to generate their own electricity while learning how electricity can serve their transportation needs. Other museum features include an under-the-skin view of a restored trolley, a 50-seat theater presenting the history of the trolley in Northeast Pennsylvania, and several trolley model displays.
Trolley Excursions
In addition to the many museum exhibits and interactive displays, the trolley excursion endures as one of the most popular museum activities. During the operating season, which generally begins in April, the Museum Trolley Excursion departs from the main passenger platform of the Steamtown National Historic Site on operating days.&nbsp;This excursion takes visitors on a scenic trip through Scranton along a portion of the former Lackawanna &amp; Wyoming Valley Railroad. Some of the sights with this excursion include Roaring Brook, the Historic Iron Furnaces, and through the Crown Avenue Tunnel, the longest interurban tunnel ever built at 4,747 feet.2

Dating back to 1882 in Berlin and made internationally popular at the 1900 World Fair in Paris, the electric trolley has played a central role in urban life for more than a century. Nearly every major city catered a widespread electric city trolley system throughout the early 1900s (and many still do). 

In 1887, however, famed inventor Charles Van Depoele drove the first Pullman-built trolley from the corner of Lackawanna and Penn Avenues in downtown Scranton, making Scranton the first city with a trolley line in the United States. This honorable status gave Scranton the nickname of “Electric City.” 

Trolley enthusiasts, history buffs, or anyone else interested in the public transportation of the past can visit the Electric City Trolley Museum in Scranton to discover one of the most comprehensive trolley museums in the United States.

Electric City Trolley Museum

The GAR Lieutenant&nbsp;Ezra Griffin Post, No. 139 has used the building since it was purchased for meetings and other gatherings for members of the GAR and the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. In 1911, the building hosted a national Grand Army of the Republic&nbsp;Encampment, or&nbsp;conference.&nbsp;

The Grand Army of the Republic Building is a historic Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) owned building located at Scranton, PA. It was built in 1886, and is a red brick and granite building in the Romanesque Revivial-style. It consists of two sections: a three-story with full basement section measuring 40 feet by 60 feet, and a 40 feet by 34 feet section with four stories and a full basement. It features a porch with red granite columnns, a carved brick archway, an ornate carved brick cornice, cast stone arches, and corner turret with round cupola and finial rising to a height of 90 feet. It originally housed a hotel and Masonic Temple, but was purchased by the Grand Army of the Republic in 1901.

Grand Army of the Republic Building (Scranton, Pennsylvania)

The original windows of the church contained simple red and white diamond-shaped panes. The beautiful stained glass windows now found in the cathedral date from the alterations begun in 1883. Much of this work can be attributed to the French architect Durang and later to the German designer Frank Mayer. In addition to the use of stained glass in the clerestory and over the entrances, there are 15 grandiose windows focusing on the Life of Christ and highlighting the Blessed Virgin Mary and other saints. Of special note are the windows depicting the Annunciation, the&nbsp;Visitation,&nbsp;the Nativity&nbsp;and the&nbsp;Last SupperThe complex was listed on the&nbsp;National Register of Historic Places&nbsp;in 1976.&nbsp;The present organ was built in 1979 by&nbsp;Casavant Freres&nbsp;of&nbsp;Quebec, Canada&nbsp;the firm's Opus 3414. In February 2008, the Cathedral was chosen by&nbsp;EWTN's&nbsp;"Cathedrals Across America" series to host the globally televised Mass for the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter.<div> </div>

St. Peter's Cathedral is the Roman Catholic cathedral in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton. The entire St. Peter's Cathedral Complex is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The church was built in 1867, as the parish church of St. Vincent de Paul. In 1883-4, a project was undertaken to remodel and embellish the church, which by now was the central church of the diocese, and on September 28, 1884, the new mother church of the diocese was consecrated by Archbishop P.J. Ryan of Philadelphia, and its name changed to the Cathedral of St. Peter, marking its new role in the still-young diocese. The cathedral complex includes the adjacent rectory (1908) and convent.

St. Peter's Cathedral (Scranton, Pennsylvania)

The International Correspondence School was established in 1891 by Thomas J. Foster, publisher of a journal called Colliery Engineer and Metal Miner. Alarmed at the high number of accidents in coal mines, clearly something had to be done. The state legislature passed the Mine Safety Act in 1885, which required miners and inspectors to pass safety exams. However, many miners were foreigners and did not speak much English and few had little education. So in response, Foster started to publish a question and answer column in the journal. Miners were asked to send in questions as well. Before long, Foster and his staff received far too many questions to handle themselves. It was at this point that Foster decided to create the Correspondence School. Gradually, enrollment grew from 500 in the first class to over 190,000 students within eight years. A variety of courses were offered as well. Also, for a short time the school even offered class space in Scranton for those who wanted to take classes in person. The school's popularity continued to grow, totaling over a million cumulative&nbsp;enrollments by 1910, and four million by 1930. During World War II, the War Department awarded the school a contract to develop the department's training manuals.&nbsp; By the mid-1990s, the role of correspondence schools had declined. The ICC changed its name a few times and is now called the Penn Foster Career School, which is an accredited&nbsp;post-secondary distance education school.

This beautiful Renaissance Revival building was erected in 1899 as the headquarters of the International Correspondence School (ICC), an organization that pioneered the concept of distance learning by offering coal miners in the state to take classes by mail. Over its long history, a number of tenants have occupied the building including the Hudson Coal Company. Hudson was a leader in the Pennsylvania coal industry and played an important role in Scranton's history. Given the building's architectural significance and its association with the International Correspondence School and the coal industry which was central to Scranton's economic growth, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Today, the Finch Building is home to apartments. 

Finch Building

This Neo-Classical building was constructed in 1915 by the First Church of Christ, Scientist congregation, which was founded in 1879. It was one of several large public buildings erected in Scranton between 1880-1930. Like other buildings designed in the Classical style, it features a large portico with several columns. The congregation remained here until 1985 when decreasing membership forced it to sell the building. The county library board bought it and converted it into the Lackawanna County Children's Library.

First Church of Christ, Scientist (Lackawanna County Children's Library)

Architect Raymond Hood&nbsp;designed the Masonic Temple and Scottish Rite Cathedral, which houses the Scranton Cultural Center, the current operating organization for the building.&nbsp;The Masonic Temple is designed in a combination of&nbsp;Gothic Revival architecture&nbsp;and&nbsp;Romanesque Revival—Richardsonian Romanesque&nbsp;with contemporary Art Deco influences.&nbsp;The building was completed in 1930. The temple was designed with a dual nature; it was built to house the Scottish Rite Cathedral and a Masonic lodge while housing spaces (primarily the theater and ballroom) that were intended for public use. The design of the building is a tribute to&nbsp;Freemasonry.The Masonic Temple houses: The Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Theatre which seats 1,866 for concerts, lectures, national Broadway tours, dance and other entertainment; the Governor Robert P. Casey Library; the Raymond Hood Room (renovated from the original bowling alley); a Junior Ballroom, utilized both as event space and for the Children's and Performing Arts Academy summer and after school programs; a Grand Ballroom which can hold 2,400 for standing room performances and is host to elegant weddings, community fundraisers and galas -it was designed to seat 1,000 for dinner and was the largest ballroom in the region at the time; a "Ladies Parlor" overlooking the Grand Ballroom; Shopland Hall (originally Norman Hall), a 500 seat theatre and lodge hall located on the 4th floor, Craftsmen Hall (originally the gaming and billiard room) on the 3rd Floor as well as Snyder and Gazda Hall (originally Tuscan and Flemish Halls - named for their decor) which serve as the primary Lodge rooms for the Masonic Fraternity. Both the Weinberg Theatre and Shopland Hall are equipped with&nbsp;Austin Organs. Most of the facility is open for public usage and rental through the year. Visitors to Scranton can visit the Temple and take a tour that highlights the architecture of the building as well as its present day uses.Construction of the Masonic Temple and Scottish Rite Cathedral was begun in 1927 on the site of two former mansions. Construction of the building took three years with the Temple inauguration taking place on January 2, 1930 when the first meeting was held in the building, it was formally dedicated in May of 1930. The rectangular plan building is clad in coursed ashlars of Indiana limestone supported by the structural steel framework. At approximately 180,000 square feet, the building houses two theaters, public and masonic meeting rooms and event spaces, a grand ballroom, as well as numerous other offices, rooms and areas. There are ten levels of the building, five of which can be accessed by elevator. The remaining five levels include a storage and dressing room floor, penthouse for elevator equipment and storage, a small light room in the northwest corner of the main core, and a two-level sub-basement sixty feet below the basement floor. Symbols of Masonry can be found throughout the Masonic Temple and Scottish Rite Cathedral, although it may not be apparent to those unfamiliar with the Craft. Shopland Hall, the small theater on the fourth floor, contains many Masonic symbols. An image of the Crusade is depicted above the stage, as well as shield motifs. These are important symbols to the Masonic Fraternity. Two-headed eagles are depicted on the ceiling of the theater. Frederick of Prussia introduced the symbol of the two headed eagle when the Scottish Rite was in its formative stages. The two-headed eagle, along with other sybols of various branches as well as the four cardinal virtues are engraved on the exterior of the building. The Robert P. Casey Library features the quintessential symbol of the Freemasons, a shovel, a pick, and a crowbar, in a glass case. Not only are these three items symbols of Masonry, but they were also used in the ceremonial groundbreaking and laying of the cornerstone during the construction of the Masonic Temple. Also in the Casey Library is a grandfather clock that features many Masonic Symbols carved into the wood, including the shovel, pick, and crowbar motif, as well as the symbol of the square and the compass with the letter “G” in the center. The Cultural Center features a wide variety of entertainments and programs. It has hosted performances by contemporary musical artists, including Jason Mraz,&nbsp;Dave Matthews Band,&nbsp;N-Sync,&nbsp;Breaking Benjamin,&nbsp;Backstreet Boyz, and&nbsp;Maroon Five. Performances from Jackson Browne,&nbsp;Lewis Black,&nbsp;Jeff Dunham,&nbsp;Shinedown,&nbsp;George Carlin, and&nbsp;The Amazing Kreskin&nbsp;have entertained in recent years, the venue has played host to the regional&nbsp;Northeastern Pennsylvania&nbsp;Philharmonic&nbsp;Orchestra and many others. The&nbsp;Broadway Theater League of Northeastern Pennsylvania&nbsp;has produced an annual season of national Broadway tours for over 50 years at the venue, including "Rent," "Mamma Mia!," "Les Miserables," and "Jersey Boys." In December of 2014, the Scranton Cultural Center will premiere the fully realized stage version of the musical comedy, Harry Connick Jr.'s "The Happy Elf". The Scranton Cultural Center began a multimillion dollar restoration project in the mid 1990s. Electrical services were updated and air conditioning was installed for the theatre, grand ballroom, main lobby and lower level. Expanded and ADA compliant restrooms were added and the new Raymond Hood Room were installed in the former bowling lanes space. The ballroom's ornate walls and ceilings were also restored. In 2014, the former Junior Ballroom was updated to provide space for the newly begun Children's and Performing Arts Academy classes and summer camp sessions. Roof and masonry repairs, further HVAC upgrades and expansion as well as updates and restoration to the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Theatre, main organ, and stage house and mechanics are slated for the coming years.

The Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple (formerly the Masonic Temple and Scottish Rite Cathedral) is a theatre and cultural center in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The Cultural Center's mission statement is "to rejuvenate a national architectural structure as a regional center for arts, education and community activities appealing to all ages." The Cultural Center hosts national Broadway tours; professional and local musical and dramatic theatre offerings; local, regional and national orchestral and popular music, dance and opera; comedians, lecturers, art exhibits, a children's and performing arts academy and various classes as well as fundraiser galas and special events including proms, luncheons, private parties and is a popular wedding ceremony and reception venue. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Scranton Cultural Center

Designed in the Victorian Gothic Revival style, Scranton City Hall is one of the city's more beautiful landmarks. It was constructed in 1888 and was originally called the Municipal Building. Its more prominent feature is a bell tower that has four, circular stained-glass windows. Adjacent to the building is another structure, the Central Fire Headquarters building, which was erected at the same time and is attached to City Hall by a second-floor bridge. Both buildings were jointly added to the National Register of Historic Places. The fire station is still in operation today. City Hall, as of 2018, is need of major repairs that are estimated to cost millions of dollars. 

Scranton City Hall

During the strike, around 100,000 miners participated. Given this high number, the strike had tremendous impact. It lasted for 163 days (from May to October). Tragically, a number of strikers lost their lives. In the end, both sides agreed to compromise. The miners wanted a 20% wage increase, an&nbsp;eight-hour workday, and as stated above, official recognition of the union. Instead, they received a 10% wage increase, a nine-hour workday, and were allowed to have three representatives on a six-man arbitration board of representatives (the other three were management representatives).&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Lackawanna County Courthouse is significant for its beautiful Romanesque Revival style and its association with the 1902 Anthracite Coal Strike Commission, the first session of which was held here. The commission was the federal government's first attempt at intervening in a labor dispute, which in this case was the "Great Strike of 1902." Miners belonging to the United Mine Workers of America in the anthracite coal fields of eastern Pennsylvania decided to go on strike to call for shorter work days, higher wages, and official acknowledgment of the union. The strike compelled President Theodore Roosevelt to establish the commission, which acted as a neutral arbiter; its creation was unprecedented in American history up to that point. The event was also significant as it brought to the national forefront the union's young but capable leader, John Mitchell, whose legacy is commemorated by a monument that stands outside on the courthouse grounds. 

Lackawanna County Courthouse

In the early 1900s, Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad&nbsp;president&nbsp;William Truesdale&nbsp;approved a plan to replace the railroad's Scranton station, an old brick structure located on Lackawanna Avenue near Franklin Avenue. The new station, to be built about seven blocks east at 700 Lackawanna Avenue, would be a far grander structure that would also house the railroad's offices, with the exception of the executive offices in New York City. The railroad commissioned New York architect Kenneth Murchison, who executed the design in&nbsp;French Renaissance&nbsp;style.Constructed of brick and steel at a cost of around $600,000,&nbsp;it has concrete floors and partitions. The exterior is faced with Indiana limestone and it has an 8-foot bronze clock on the façade. The main entrance leading to the former waiting room is furnished in Formosa, a soft, pinkish-yellow Italian marble.&nbsp;Its Grand Lobby, two and a half stories tall, has an ornamented mosaic tile floor, a barrel-vaulted&nbsp;Tiffany stained-glass&nbsp;ceiling, rare&nbsp;Siena&nbsp;marble walls, and 36 unique&nbsp;Grueby Faience&nbsp;tile murals. The tiles are styled after the work of American artist&nbsp;Clark Greenwood Voorhees, and represent scenes along the DL&amp;W's&nbsp;Phoebe Snow&nbsp;main line from Hoboken, N.J. to Buffalo, N.Y.A tall radio antenna was installed after a while on the roof; the railroad was a pioneer in the use of wireless communications between trains and terminals.&nbsp;The building, originally five stories tall, had a sixth added for office space by 1923. The last train left the station on January 6, 1970. The building was then shuttered and neglected.In the early 1980s, as Scranton struggled with 13 percent unemployment and a slumping economy, city leaders conceived of a redeveloped station as a tourist attraction and rallying point. "Basically, we're looking for people to come to Scranton who would not come to Scranton normally," Mayor&nbsp;James McNulty told the Associated Press in 1982. "We want to give the hotel a dimension as a destination instead of a way station, so this can be someplace to go."The building was later purchased by MetroAction, a Scranton Chamber of Commerce corporation that focused on downtown development. Its redevelopment, the "linchpin of Scranton's downtown revitalization program," was ultimately spearheaded by The Erie-Lackawanna Restoration Associates, a group of private investors, and funded to the tune of $13 million through a combination of federal, state, and municipal money, plus donations from banks and other local businesses.&nbsp;The building was renovated as a hotel, furnished by Bethlehem Furniture Manufacturing Corp., and renamed The&nbsp;Hilton&nbsp;at Lackawanna Station.&nbsp;The renovation work was designed by Balog, Steines, Hendricks, and Manchester Architects, Inc., and won a 1984 Design Honor Award from the Ohio chapter of the&nbsp;American Institute of Architects.The building reopened on New Year's Eve in 1983,&nbsp;ushered back to life by some 650 partygoers dancing to the&nbsp;Guy Lombardo Orchestra&nbsp;under the direction of&nbsp;Art Mooney.The station renovation was just half of the railroad-related repurposing meant to enliven downtown Scranton; the other half was&nbsp;Steamtown USA, a museum being built on the old Lackawanna railyard. On February 3, 1984, McNulty stood before the station to welcome the first of Steamtown's exhibits to the city: a 350-ton&nbsp;Canadian Pacific&nbsp;steam locomotive chugging up with a baggage car and five passenger cars. "Welcome to the first day of Scranton's new future," McNulty told a crowd, which cheered.In 1993, the hotel was purchased for $4 million by&nbsp;DanMar Hotel Inc.,&nbsp;which shifted its hotel-chain affiliation two years later from Hilton to&nbsp;Radisson. DanMar began trying to sell the building in December 2004 to the&nbsp;University of Scranton but university officials formally declined the offer in May 2005. DanMar ultimately sold the building for $7 million to Akshar Lackawanna Station Hospitality LP, a unit of El Centro, Calif.-based&nbsp;Calvin Instruments LLC, which owned about a dozen hotels at the time. The contract was signed up in July 2005 and the sale was completed in October. The new owners pledged to spend $1.5 million to $1.7 million on renovations to wrap up in summer 2006, but the work actually took place in 2007-09.The hotel is the setting, though not the actual filming location, for "Dwight's Speech" in the American television show&nbsp;The Office. Many of the show's cast members stayed at the hotel during the October 2007 fan convention and again during the show's public wrap party in May 2013.As of 2011, regular passenger train service to Scranton is slated to be restored under a plan to extend&nbsp;New Jersey Transit&nbsp;(NJ Transit) service from&nbsp;New York City&nbsp;and&nbsp;Hoboken, NJ, via the&nbsp;Lackawanna cut-off.&nbsp;The trains would pass the Lackawanna Station building and pull in at&nbsp;a new Scranton station&nbsp;on Lackawanna Avenue.

The Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel, built as the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Station, is a neo-classical building in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was built as a train station and office building in 1908; closed in 1970; listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on December 6, 1977; and renovated and reopened as a hotel in 1983.

Through it all, the building retains its original clocks, doors, fountains, stairs, ceilings, walls, and overall appearance. Though not actually filmed on site, the hotel served as the setting for an episode of the American version of the television show, The Office, entitled "Dwight's Speech". The hotel is located on the grounds of the University of Scranton, but it is not actually owned by the university. 

Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel

The Estate was commissioned in 1867 by Joseph H. Scranton and completed by architect Russel Sturgis under the supervision of W.W. Mannes. It cost over $150,000 to build. The building materials took up three railroad cars, 45,000 bricks were used, and Italian marble was even imported for the interior. The house remained in the Scranton family until 1941, when Worthington Scranton left it to the Diocese for the use of the University of Scranton. A prime example of the Second Empire style, the Estate has architectural features including a hand-carved, solid mahogany fireplace, hand-painted ceilings, solid mahogany staircases and pillars, a Tiffany glass skylight surrounded by frescoes, and an original Luini painting from the 16th century. The architect, Russel Sturgis, was also known for designing Yale's chapel. The stone masonry was done by William Sykes, and the wood carvings were designed by William F. Paris. When Joseph H. Scranton died in 1872, just a year after the building was finished, the property passed to his son, William Scranton. He and his wife, Katherine, retained it until Katherine's death in 1935, when it then passed to Worthington Scranton. Worthington and his wife, Marjorie, however, primarily resided in Dalton, PA. In 1941, they donated the residency to the Diocese of Scranton for the use of the University. The Christian Brothers, the then administrators of the University, lived in the Estate briefly until administration of the University passed to the Jesuits in 1942. In June 1942, the Estate became the primary residency of the Jesuits. The Office of Admissions currently resides in the Estate, which serves as a fitting welcome to prospective Scranton students.

Commissioned by Joseph H. Scranton in 1871, the Estate, a Victorian style residence on Ridge Row, would serve as the Scranton family homestead until 1941, when Worthington Scranton left it for the use of the University of Scranton. The Jesuits would claim this building as their place of residence in June 1942 after the Christian Brothers moved out and they moved in, preparing for their administrative takeover of the University of Scranton.

The Estate

Constructed in 1912 and home to financier George Catlin, this&nbsp;three-story home includes&nbsp;sixteen-rooms and six fireplaces. An&nbsp;architectural&nbsp;gem, the home features&nbsp;walnut woodwork and&nbsp;molded plaster ceilings. The Catlins were supporters of the&nbsp;Lackawanna Historical Society and&nbsp;bequeathed&nbsp;the home to the society in 1935.&nbsp;

The headquarters of the Lackawanna Historical Society, this historic home contains exhibits and antiques, as well as a research library. Exhibits tell the history of early pioneers, the Civil War, coal mining and economic development, and the history of businesses and leading social and educational institutions in northeastern Pennsylvania from the 18th century to the present. 

Catlin House and Lackawanna Historical Society

The Gunster Memorial Student Center at the University of Scranton&nbsp;was the main hub of student activity from its opening in 1960 to its closing and demolition in 2008. Planning for a new university student center began in 1958. The aim was to house activities that were at the time taking place off campus. Construction of the new student center began in 1959 with a nearly $1,000,000 budget and an estimated cost of construction around $900,000. The architectural design of the building was headed by the firm Bellante &amp; Clauss, and construction was contracted by Gerard &amp; Pettinato Construction Company. The building was completed in 1960 in time for the fall term, at a total cost of $1,030,000. At the time of its opening, the center contained an auditorium, ballroom, cafeteria, bookstore, lounges, a game room, and a rifle room. Future renovations would be needed to accommodate the growing student population.<div>As the Student Center and main location for student activities, the building hosted many theatrical events, many of which took place in the Eagen Auditorium. Events hosted at the auditorium included performances by the University Players, university music groups, and guest performances sponsored by the University. In December 1980, the student center was dedicated to Joseph F. Gunster, a St.Thomas College alumnus. In the 1990s, the student center received much-needed renovations to accommodate the usage of the University’s dining services by more and more students. More dining areas were added and existing&nbsp;dining services were revamped. The Student Center also contained a club-like hangout, called The Archives, that served as an all-day meeting place for students.</div>

The Gunster building was the University of Scranton’s Student Center, and it was a three-story building that was built in 1959. This student center originally had a cafeteria, a bookstore, student activities offices, student and staff lounges, a snack bar, game room, and an auditorium. Within this auditorium, the University and its students would hold many different events. These events would range from plays that were part of the performing arts series, to musical concerts by the University band.

This building was named after Joseph F. Gunster, who was an alumnus of St. Thomas College and made generous donations to the University. The Gunster building was taken down in 2001 when there was a need for an expansion of the student center, but there was no effective way of renovating and expanding the Gunster building. Due to this, the DeNaples Center was constructed and completed in 2008. Six glass panels from the Gunster Memorial Student Center are currently preserved in the DeNaples Center.


Gunster Memorial Student Center

Overview and Conceptual BackgroundScience, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education has been taking the nation by storm. This is partially due to the fact that technology is evolving. The University believes that the most powerful tool at our disposal is the mind, and a building that fosters enhancement of the mind is essential to the campus. Design SpecificationsThe Loyola Science Center is designed to accommodate programs, faculty, students, courses, and laboratories. The design also hopes to grab the attention of those not already in the sciences. While innovation is one driving force for the design, showing science as a human entity is also important. The building is full of equipment and scientific tools, but they are able to educate students through the collaboration of minds along with the use of these tools. People Behind the ProjectThe Loyola Science Center is the product of the Quandel Enterprises Construction Company and the Einhorn Yaffee and Prescott (EYP) Architecture and Engineering Architectural Firm. There were three groups behind the project: the Green Team, Science Advisory Committee, and the Steering Committee. The Green Team worked with the architects to design common spaces with a sustainable design for the building. The Steering Committee worked with the architects to monitor the size and scope of the project, ensuring it stayed within reasonable boundaries, and also integrated University goals into the facility's design. The Science Advisory Committee created a vision of a science center that supports programs' aims, and they communicated this vision to the architects. The collaboration of these groups, along with the architects, the building was created in the best interests of the University, construction company, and committees. The primary figures behind the Loyola Science Center are: Kip Ellis, Kate Harding, Michael King, Charles Kirby, Wan Leung, Heather Taylor, and James Theodore. Impact on Science Education	The Loyola Science Center has opened up copious opportunities for students to learn and apply their knowledge. The University of Scranton understands that not all students learn the same way, so it ensured that the building included spaces for collaboration. Some labs have glass windows in an effort to engage students that are not originally involved in the work. The design of the building itself aims to invite people who are just passing by to want to participate in the activities. As the University describes it, the LSC “actively engages others, invites others to participate in the discovery process, and shares the excitement of scientific inquiry.”

The Loyola Science Center (LSC) was built to house a variety of sciences, hence the name of the building. These range from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) -related science classes to the social sciences. The University wanted to take a modern approach to learning throughout LSC in the construction of the building. For example, many of the rooms and labs have glass walls that encourage group learning and make information sharing more efficient. The University made sure the building was built to code for a Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) while still managing to build an approximately 150,000-square-foot, four-story edifice.

History of Scranton Pennsylvania Walking Tour

Scranton Electric Building

Introduction

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