Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel
Encyclopedia
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.
, William Truesdale
, 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 Ave., 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 French Renaissance
style.
Constructed of brick and steel at a cost of around $600,000, 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. Its Grand Lobby, two and a half stories tall, has an ornamented mosaic tile floor, a barrel-vaulted Tiffany stained-glass
ceiling, rare Siena
marble walls, and 36 unique Grueby Faience
tile murals. The tiles are styled after the work of American artist Clark Greenwood Voorhees, and represent scenes along the DL&W's Phoebe Snow
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.
The building, originally five stories tall, had a sixth added for office space by 1923.
The last train left the station in January 1970. The building was shuttered and neglected, its windows cracking, the marbled lobby used to store old timetables and railroad ledgers.
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 some place 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. The building was renovated as a hotel, furnished by Bethlehem Furniture Manufacturing Corp., and renamed The Hilton
at Lackawanna Station. 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 American Institute of Architects
.
The building reopened on New Year's Eve in 1983, ushered back to life by some 650 partygoers dancing to the Guy Lombardo Orchestra
under the direction of Art Mooney
.
The station renovation was just half of the railroad-related repurposing meant to enliven downtown Scranton; the other half was 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 Canadian Pacific 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 DanMar Hotel Inc., which shifted its hotel-chain affiliation two years later from Hilton to Radisson
.
DanMar began trying to sell the building in December 2004 to the University of Scranton
, many of whose visitors stayed at the hotel, 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 Calvin Investments 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 The Office. Many of the show's cast members stayed at the hotel during the October 2007 fan convention.
As of 2011, regular passenger train service to Scranton is slated to be restored under a plan to extend New Jersey Transit
(NJ Transit) service from New York City
and Hoboken, New Jersey
, via the Lackawanna Cut-Off. The trains would pass the Lackawanna Station building and pull in at a new Scranton station
on Lackawanna Avenue.
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
building in Scranton
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. It was built as a train station
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
and office building in 1908; closed in 1970; listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
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.
Station
In the early 1900s, the president of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western RailroadDelaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company was a railroad connecting Pennsylvania's Lackawanna Valley, rich in anthracite coal, to Hoboken, New Jersey, , Buffalo and Oswego, New York...
, William Truesdale
William Truesdale
William H. Truesdale was an American railroad executive, primarily known for his service as President of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad at the turn of the 20th century....
, 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 Ave., 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 French Renaissance
French Renaissance architecture
French Renaissance architecture is the style of architecture which was imported to France from Italy during the early 16th century and developed in the light of local architectural traditions....
style.
Constructed of brick and steel at a cost of around $600,000, 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. Its Grand Lobby, two and a half stories tall, has an ornamented mosaic tile floor, a barrel-vaulted Tiffany stained-glass
Tiffany glass
Tiffany glass refers to the many and varied types of glass developed and produced from 1878 to 1933 at the Tiffany Studios, by Louis Comfort Tiffany....
ceiling, rare Siena
Siena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
marble walls, and 36 unique Grueby Faience
Grueby Faience Company
The Grueby Faience Company, founded in 1894, was an American ceramics company that produced distinctive vases and tiles during America's Arts and Crafts Movement....
tile murals. The tiles are styled after the work of American artist Clark Greenwood Voorhees, and represent scenes along the DL&W's Phoebe Snow
Phoebe Snow (passenger train)
Phoebe Snow was a named passenger train operated by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad and the Erie Lackawanna.It travelled across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and western New York.-Lackawanna passenger train :...
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.
The building, originally five stories tall, had a sixth added for office space by 1923.
The last train left the station in January 1970. The building was shuttered and neglected, its windows cracking, the marbled lobby used to store old timetables and railroad ledgers.
Hotel
In the early 1980s, as Scranton struggled with 13 percent unemployment and a slumping economy, city leaders conceived of a redeveloped station as tourist attraction and rallying point. "Basically, we're looking for people to come to Scranton who would not come to Scranton normally," MayorMayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania
The Mayor of Scranton is the chief executive of the government of Scranton, Pennsylvania, as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Scranton. The current Mayor of Scranton is Christopher Doherty.From 1866, mayors were elected by popular vote....
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 some place 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. The building was renovated as a hotel, furnished by Bethlehem Furniture Manufacturing Corp., and renamed The Hilton
Hilton
-Companies:* Hilton Worldwide, a global hospitality company based in the United States** Hilton Hotels, an international chain of hotels trademarked by Hilton Worldwide** Hilton Garden Inn, a chain of hotels trademarked by Hilton Worldwide...
at Lackawanna Station. 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 American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
.
The building reopened on New Year's Eve in 1983, ushered back to life by some 650 partygoers dancing to the Guy Lombardo Orchestra
Guy Lombardo
Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo was a Canadian-American bandleader and violinist.Forming "The Royal Canadians" in 1924 with his brothers Carmen, Lebert, and Victor and other musicians from his hometown, Lombardo led the group to international success, billing themselves as creating "The Sweetest...
under the direction of Art Mooney
Art Mooney
Art Mooney was an American popular bandleader. His biggest hits were "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover" and "Baby Face" in 1948 and "Nuttin' For Christmas," with Barry Gordon, in 1955...
.
The station renovation was just half of the railroad-related repurposing meant to enliven downtown Scranton; the other half was 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 Canadian Pacific 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 DanMar Hotel Inc., which shifted its hotel-chain affiliation two years later from Hilton to Radisson
Radisson
-Places:*Radisson , provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba*Radisson , subway station on the Green Line of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system...
.
DanMar began trying to sell the building in December 2004 to the University of Scranton
University of Scranton
The University of Scranton is a private, co-educational Catholic and Jesuit university, located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the northeast region of the state. The school was founded in 1888 by Most Rev. William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. It was elevated to a...
, many of whose visitors stayed at the hotel, 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 Calvin Investments 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
Dwight's Speech
"Dwight's Speech" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's twenty-third episode overall. Written by Paul Lieberstein, and directed by Charles McDougall, the episode first aired in the United States on March 2, 2006 on NBC.In...
" in the American television show The Office. Many of the show's cast members stayed at the hotel during the October 2007 fan convention.
As of 2011, regular passenger train service to Scranton is slated to be restored under a plan to extend New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...
(NJ Transit) service from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
, via the Lackawanna Cut-Off. The trains would pass the Lackawanna Station building and pull in at a new Scranton station
Scranton (NJT station)
Scranton is the proposed terminus for New Jersey Transit passenger rail service from New York City and Hoboken, New Jersey, via the Lackawanna Cut-Off to Scranton, Pennsylvania. Currently, NJ Transit provides rail service to Port Morris, New Jersey via the Lake Hopatcong station...
on Lackawanna Avenue.