Lancaster County is not normally
the place one thinks of when considering social experimentation. Yet that is exactly what The Drogaris Group
and Garden Spot Village are doing with the Lancaster Press Building that sits
on the corner of Prince and Lemon Streets.
The 100-year-old, massive brick
building was originally built as a cigar factory in 1907. The building served as a cigar factory until
1922 when it was purchased by Lancaster Press Co., to house their printing
operations. For the majority of its life
this was the building’s use, until 1992 when the printing company moved and the
building sat empty until a packaging firm used the building between 1997 and
1998. From 1998 on the building has been
empty and abandoned.
In 2006 the building was purchased by the
Drogaris Group, who is partnering with Garden Spot Village to create a unique
retirement community for those 55+ who want to live in an urban setting. To honor the building’s history and the
architectural features that give the Lancaster Press Building its character,
Historic Restorations is working with the Drogaris Group to restore window
sashes, windows, door jambs, a custom-built Sapele transom, and a 4’ wide X 7 ½’ high wood door using insulated
glass and traditional joinery to showcase the building’s potential in a model
living space.
1 comment:
SOOOO very happy this building will remain a part of the Lancaster landscape. My father, Richard Daecher, invested more than 40 years of his life at the Lancaster Press, so the building holds a place in my heart. Thank you for the historic restoration of this well-built structure, as well as for preserving it's history as a part of Lancaster's landscape. Roseanne DeFranco Daecher
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