| 20th Annual Preservation
Award Winners |
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| The
Dritt Mansion |
| The
Hahn Home |
| White
Rose Motor Company |
| Howard
Tunnel |
| The
Strand-Capitol Performing Arts
Center |
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The Dritt
Mansion |
| John and Kathryn
Zimmerman |
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 This
formal Georgian styled stone house overlooking
the Susquehanna River is located 3 and ½ miles
south of Wrightsville along Long Level Road. The
building was constructed in 1758, although
archaeological evidence suggests an even earlier
date of construction. The Meyer family may have
constructed it as early as the 1730s as it
retains many German influences. The residence
served as home to Captain Jacob Dritt from 1783
until his unfortunate drowning death in 1817.
Dritt was an officer of the 5th Division of the
Pennsylvania Militia and he operated a ferry
across the Susquehanna in his later life. He was
an astute businessman who transported wine and
liquor across the river and was instrumental in
the development of Washington Boro in Lancaster
County. After his death, his family retained
ownership of the house and surrounding land
until 1851. The family must have made some
improvements to the house including the removal
of the pent roofs, construction of a late 19th
century front porch and the demolition of a rear
kitchen ell. Many of its original features were
retained including several mantels and a vaulted
basement. The house was used primarily as a
rental property and summerhouse through the
twentieth century, which in some way helped,
preserved its integrity. John and Kathryn
Zimmerman purchased the house in 1998 and began
rehabilitating it for their own summer retreat
as well as for office space. |
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 Extensive
archaeological survey was completed to ascertain
the appearance of the front stoop as well as the
size and dimension of the kitchen ell and
beehive oven. Luckily, physical evidence on the
building helped with the appearance of the
plaster cove cornice and pent roofs. Much of the
interior floor plan was left intact as were the
majority of the interior trim. The house
featured four fireplaces and plate stoves, which
had long been removed, heated the other four
rooms. The mantels were preserved and
reproduction stoves installed. The building now
serves as the offices of the Lancaster-York
Heritage Region, a very appropriate use for one
of York’s earliest high-style buildings.
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The Hahn Home |
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 In 1913,
Anna L. Gardner died leaving her estate in trust
to accumulate for 15 years. At that time, a home
was to be established for worthy women of good
character and habits, over 50 years of age, who
were unmarried Pennsylvania residents. In
1917-18, Robert Emerton, Sr. built a home at 863
S. George Street for his family. It was designed
by John Dempwolf and was named Crepler House
derived from the first initials of the Emerton
parents and children’s names. The family
experienced monetary problems and the large
house was divided into apartments in 1921. In
1928, Anna Gardner’s wish came to fruition with
the establishment of the Hahn Home organization.
The name Hahn was used in honor and memory of
Miss Gardner’s mother’s family. The Hahn Home
purchased the Crepler Apartments with the hope
of converting into the Hahn Home. From 1928 to
1955, the house was operated as Crepler
Apartments. In 1955, renovations began to
remodel Crepler Apartments and the court granted
the Hahn Home Board the permission to open their
home for ladies. In 1958, the first ladies moved
into the home. |
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| The house operated in this manner until
February 10, 2003 when a devastating fire broke
out in the front parlor from spontaneous
combustion of oily rags. Fortunately, all of the
residents were safely evacuated. Damage to the
building was extensive. On the first floor, much
of the decorative paneling was charred, plaster
walls and ceilings blackened, and the decorative
cove ceiling in the living room almost
unrecognizable. There was tremendous smoke and
water damage throughout the rest of the
building. |
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| At the time of the fire, the Board of
Directors was considering the future of the Hahn
Home organization and the building at 863 South
George Street. Since many more opportunities
exist now for long term care of the elderly than
in Anna Gardner’s time, it seemed that
continuing to operate the facility in its
current manner might not be the best for the
future. The fire forced the board to examine the
issue quickly and it was decided that while
selling the building and using the association’s
resources to better serve the intentions of Anna
Gardner’s estate made sense, liquidating the
building in its fire damaged condition would not
ensure that its architectural detailing would be
restored. So the Board of Directors decided to
undertake the restoration of the building first
before marketing it for sale. |
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 We are pleased
to present an initiative award to the Hahn Home
Board of Directors for undertaking the
restoration of one of York’s finest buildings.
We commend the Board for making this decision
and moving forward to ensure the building’s
history was preserved before dealing with the
future of the organization.
The Board
has recently began discussions with a new buyer
for the building but with their dedication to
the building and to the community, the Hahn Home
has ensured that future generations can
appreciate the significance and beauty of the
building at 863 S. George Street. Although the
project was completed within the 2004 year, the
Board of the Hahn Home is being recognized this
evening for continuing to ensure that this
building is preserved for the enjoyment of
future generations. |
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White Rose Motor
Company |
| Wagman Construction,
Inc. |
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 In 1937, Charles Heiges
began construction on a fashionable Streamline
Moderne styled building his Heiges Motors along
busy West King Street in York City. He organized
the White Rose Auto Dealership the following
year and business changed to the new name. The
dealership sold and serviced Oldsmobile and
Cadillac models exclusively. A fashionable
showroom was located in this southeast corner,
so passing motorists could see the dealership's
newest automobile in the showroom window (King
Street was still a two-way street). The front
facade was covered with a dark Carrara glass.
Other prominent features of the building's style
included metal hopper windows, stainless steel
and aluminum for hardware and other details as
well as a tall vertical neon sign. Like many of
its contemporary dealerships, the front stylized
portion housed the main showroom and sales
offices. The back utilitarian brick section
housed the service bay for both new and used
automobiles. |
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| The building remained a prosperous
dealership through the 1960s as Moore Cadillac,
York's franchised Cadillac dealer. In the 1970s,
the dealership was sold and a new facility
constructed along South Queen Street in York
Township. Over the years, the Carrara glass was
removed and replaced with stucco and much of the
neon was removed. York Technical Institute moved
into the building in 1981 and the show room and
service bays were divided into new classroom
space. The technical trade school moved from the
facility in 1992. |
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 When Wagman Construction
began looking at the building in 2002, its
condition had worsened. Many of the steel sash
windows of the service bay were badly
deteriorated and the whole building had
sustained water damage from roof leaks. After
the roof was repaired, the stucco of the front
of the building was repaired so the building was
watertight. The brick pylon was also repaired to
maintain the shape of the original façade. The
remaining stainless steel canopy was repaired
and a more appropriate storefront door
installed. Wagman decided to separate the
building as it was historically and found a new
tenant for the rear service bays. The old
classroom walls were demolished and the bays
opened to one large space. The YMCA of York and
York County’s gymnastic program has filled the
rear of the building with a new entrance
constructed off West Mason Avenue. Inside, the
gym is well lighted and perfect for the new use.
The few new partition walls were carefully
planned to not impact the window openings. The
front showroom space will be leased shortly and
completed. Wagman’s commitment to city buildings
is commendable, especially for one building from
an era often overlooked. |
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Howard Tunnel |
| York County Parks and
Recreation |
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The Howard
Tunnel is located seven miles south of York in
North Codorus Township along the Northern
Central Railway. As a result of the route chosen
for the line, a tunnel was cut through more than
300 feet of solid rock. The tunnel was completed
in 1840; two years after the line began
operation although the tunnel was functional
during those first two years of operation. The
tunnel is 253 feet long and 24 feet wide. The
entrances are made up of rough-faced, coursed
ashlar stones. Slightly projecting over the top
of the entrance walls is a course of rusticated
coping, and above the crowns of the two arches
are limestone date stones. The date stone at the
south end reads 1840, while the north end stone
reads 1868, the date of the tunnel's
rehabilitation. The interior of the tunnel is
lined with brick. |
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| The Howard Tunnel was constructed as part of
the York and Maryland Line Railroad. The rail
line was constructed between the years of 1828
to 1838. Maryland first approved a charter for a
railroad in February of 1828 for construction of
a line between Baltimore and the Pennsylvania
State line. Named the Baltimore and Susquehanna
Railroad Company, the line entered Pennsylvania
south of New Freedom Borough. The rail line was
extended into Pennsylvania under the name, York
and Maryland Line Railroad. Grading of the line
began but quickly became hampered by the hilly
topography of the area and labor difficulties.
In August of 1838, the York and Maryland Line
Railroad Company opened for business. In
conjunction with the Baltimore and Susquehanna
Railroad, it provided a through route from York
to Baltimore. |
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 The
Northern Central Railway enjoyed great
prosperity through the rest of the nineteenth
century and the early twentieth century. By the
1930s, the routes of the railroads within York
County, suffered from the advancement of the
trucking systems that made movement of freight
by train seem obsolete. In 1976, the
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
purchased the property associated with the
Northern Central Railway and later the deed was
transferred to the County of York for one
dollar. The York County Heritage Rail/Trail was
constructed along side the tracks of the
railroad from the Pennsylvania State line to the
City of York. After years of rail traffic
through the tunnel, the interior bricks were
covered with soot and dirt. Deteriorated mortar
inside the tunnel and along the head walls
created a dangerous situation for users of the
Rail Trail: falling bricks and stone. The York
County Department of Parks and Recreation
received TEA –21 enhancement grant as well as a
Keystone Historic Preservation Grant from the
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
The project included cleaning the bricks,
repairing deteriorated brick and mortar and
re-laying fallen coping stones. Weep holes were
installed through the tunnel walls to allow for
water run-off. The tunnel is again open for
users of the York County Heritage Rail Trail.
Its restoration allows for the continued safe
use of the trail by visitors to and citizens of
York. |
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The Strand-Capitol Performing
Arts Center |
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 The
Strand-Capitol Theatres have been a fixture on
North George Street throughout the twentieth
century. The Capitol had opened originally as
the Jackson as early as 1908. The Strand Theatre
opened in 1925 as a vaudeville and silent film
house. Both theatres were highly ornate with
graceful archways and ornate decorative details
that included 1,800 pounds of gold leaf, 100
pounds of bronze and 4,000 pounds of ribbon gold
in pilaster moldings. The Strand and Capitol
theaters prospered during the early to
mid-twentieth century as a place for Yorkers to
enjoy films. As businesses suffered downtown, so
did the Strand and the Capitol. In February of
1976, the Strand closed. The Capitol soon
followed, closing in 1977. |
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 The theatres
reopened in 1980 after a consortium of York
business leaders and professionals evaluated the
feasibility of establishing a performing arts
center in downtown York. Since re-opening, the
Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center has
presented over 2,700 performances, including
classic and contemporary movies, and live stage
performances. |
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| The center underwent a
$15.7 million renovation and expansion in 2001.
Evergreen Painting from New York City was hired
to restore much of the beautiful decoration of
both theatres and the arches. As the work began
with the Capitol, the original proscenium arch
was found within the stage wall. The discovery
was a surprise but it was quickly incorporated
into the design. As part of the renovation
within the Strand Theatre, a necklace balcony
was constructed and great care was taken to
replicate the spaces other decorative elements
in its design. When the acoustical panels were
removed, the original stencil design and paint
colors were incorporated along the walls. Even
the murals near the ceiling were cleaned and
restored. A chandelier from the State Theatre in
Hanover was installed within the theatre in the
center medallion. The lobby was expanded and it
too became a showpiece. The rehab project
increases its capability to bring high quality
programs to York. Although such extensive art
restoration was not part of the original plan,
the Strand Capitol organization knew that its
preservation was extremely important and would
be a gift to the York Community. |
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