About Lancaster's Lancaster City

I'd like to introduce you to a friend and client of mine, Ken Knouse, whom I've worked with for years in Lancaster City. He is a dedicated, professional remodeler who really does nice projects for his clients and customers. Ken started out with me buying his first investment property in Lancaster City a few years ago using equity from his home.

I interact with many, many would-be (or wannabe?) investors who never get to the point of committing funds to a rehab project. They're almost always just blowing smoke and I can spot them a mile away. Ken, on the other hand, jumped with everything and did an amazing job on his first project home. I was impressed. Since those beginnings Ken has developed a feel for renovations that surpasses most of the folks out there doing rehab homes. It's all the rage just to slop things together and spray builder-grade white all over it and get it on the market, but Ken goes the extra mile with every detail, restoring classic architecture, adding modern features, enhancing curb appeal and overall making a great home.

Ken is featured this fall in the seasonal issue of Lancaster City Living Magazine, for a project he completed on North Reservoir Street. You can read the story here or browse the whole issue digitally here (story on page 33 - nice photos included). I was proud to help him find the foreclosure, secure it for him, list it and sell it in only a few days last fall!

Ken's company is called Block Envy (meaning you'll be the envy of the block if you use him!). If you are interested in buying a foreclosure and having him renovate it for you, give me a call. Ken would also love to talk to you about buying your home should you want to sell. While Ken prefers historic Lancaster City homes, he has completed projects in other parts of the county as well.

Whatever your Lancaster City real estate needs, YourLancasterHome.com and Coldwell Banker Lancaster are your sources for premiere real estate services. Call either myself (Jeff) at 799-0851 or Brian Schulman at 951-5552 for a consultation today.

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For Lancaster PA homes for sale click here. Jeff Geoghan is a top real estate expert in Lancaster County, PA, and an involved community member. Jeff's work has been featured in the Lancaster Newspapers, WGAL Channel 8, PA Business Journal and Wall Street Journal. Jeff's blog on Lancaster County and its homes is nationally-featured. Contact Jeff for more help with your Lancaster PA Real Estate needs. Jeff is also a photographer - view some of his portfolio. Comments are welcome!

As the construction of the Lancaster PA Convention Center and Marriott Hotel reaches new heights, several historic buildings around it are being spared. A $20 Million project is planned to preserve and restore the law offices of Thaddeus Stevens, and the next door home of his housekeeper and business manager, Lydia Hamilton Smith.

Thaddeus Stevens was born in 1792 and died in 1868. He was a lifelong crusader against slavery, and is considered the driving force behind the 13th Amendment which abolished slavery, and the 14th and 15th Amendments, which granted equal rights, and the right (for all men) to vote.

Lydia Hamilton Smith, an African-American widow, became Stevens' housekeeper in 1847. She accompanied him to Washington D.C. and managed his business affairs. She eventually owned and managed her own properties in Washington D.C., Philadelphia and Lancaster, a remarkable achievement at that time in history.

The adjacent buildings will be restored to their original appearances, and set up as an interactive educational and historic site. Additionally, archaeological excavations behind the homes have uncovered hundreds of historic relics going back to the 1700s.

Importantly, evidence has been uncovered that strongly suggests that the buildings were part of the Underground Railroad through which slaves escaped to the North. A large underground cistern has been excavated which would have been large enough to hide the refugees on their journey to freedom.

The Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology , Lancaster, PA was created with a bequest from Stevens' will. When Thaddeus Stevens died, he was only the second dignitary ever to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda - the first being Abraham Lincoln himself.

By the time the new Lancaster, PA Convention Cention Center and Marriott Hotel is finished in 2009, Lancaster's historic Penn Square will be getting a bit of a face lift as well.

Plans include new trees and plantings. New lighting will be standardized. Chairs and tables with protective umbrellas will be placed in the square, giving the area an outdoor cafe atmosphere!

New transportation routes are being planned in and out of the city, and the many art galleries, cafes and restaurants in the neighborhood are gearing up for the increasing number of visitors. The First Friday of each month is a great time to see what's happening!

Above to the left can be seen the 1798 Heritage Museum, once the old court house.

The Victorian building houses the Central Farmer's Market, and to the right is the art nouveau Greist Building, the tallest building in Lancaster until the new Marriott Hotel and Convention Center surpasses it.

©BrianSchulman2008

Lancaster's Amtrak Train Station is an architectural gem. Built in 1929, it is a familiar and dignified landmark in the city of Lancaster, PA.

Its Art Deco marble interior is reminiscent, on a small scale, of Grand Central Station in New York City. Lancaster is the third busiest train station in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia and Harrisburg.

The main lobby features a soaring ceiling with art deco lighting fixtures and a magnificent glass paned ceiling insert.

Over the past decade, restoration has been ongoing, including painting and improvements to the heating system.

The building will now be air conditioned. Shops and restaurants will be built, and the parking lot enlarged.

Ridership at the Amtrak Station is up 17% just since May due to the increased cost of driving!

The current $12 Million renovation is scheduled to be completed by June of 2010.

©BrianSchulman2008

Hospital personnel will soon have an easier time crossing busy North Duke Street to get to Lancaster General Hospital. Additionally, traffic on North Duke Street will no longer have to be delayed by crossing guards.

A new pedestrian crossing is about to connect the hospital to Lancaster General's new Outpatient Services building, now under construction to the right of his photo, taken on North Duke Street facing south.

The pedestrian crossing will connect two levels of the Outpatient Services building directly to the Hospital, at left, which is itself undergoing major improvements. The emergency room and main entrance have been moved around the corner to E. James Street.

The pedestrian crossing (at left) connects to the new Outpatient Services building.

This angle gives an indication of the size of this project. A new parking garage can be seen at the rear.

©2008BrianSchulman