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(rshsdepot) Scranton, PA
From the TriState Observer.
Bernie Wagenblast
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SCRANTON, PA - Steamtown National Historic Site, downtown Scranton, welcomes
a new exhibit, “100 Years: The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad’s
Scranton Passenger Station”
The exhibit illustrates the key role that this prominent Scranton landmark
played in the life of the everyday man, through archival photographs, news
stories and advertisements. The exhibit was conceived, designed and produced by
Interpretation & Education Division personnel at Steamtown NHS, in
partnership with the Lackawanna County Library System, the Lackawanna Heritage Valley
Authority, Lackawanna Historical Society, the Radisson Lackawanna Station
hotel, and the Scranton Times-Tribune. It will be o­n display at the park’s
Changing Exhibit’s Gallery through December; an abridged exhibit is also
o­n display along the first floor halls at the hotel.
Railroad stations in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were the
hub of community life. The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, like
other railroads in northeastern Pennsylvania, had expanded due to the nation’s
seemingly endless demand for the region’s anthracite coal. Productivity
created opportunity. Immigrants and native-born Americans sought jobs in the coal
mines, silk mills, lace factories and o­n the railroads.
The former DL&W completed a new passenger station, now the Radisson at
Lackawanna Station Hotel, in 1908. It was built to replace a much smaller
Victorian station built in 1867 that was located along Lackawanna Avenue near
Franklin Avenue, about 7 blocks west. The “new” station’s Beaux Arts design was
created by renowned New York architect Kenneth Murchison in 1906, and took 14
months to complete.
The building fell into disrepair when it’s last railroad owner, Consolidated
Rail Corporation (Conrail) merged Scranton offices with its Philadelphia
headquarters location and closed the building in 1977. Later that year, the
facility was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 1983, the
grand structure was restored to serve as a full-featured luxury hotel at a cost
of $13 million. The historical significance of this majestic building is a
reminder of Scranton’s proud, colorful and extraordinary past as well as a
symbol of the city’s o­ngoing renaissance.
The exhibit is included in the Park’s Entrance Fee and will be open during
regular Park hours. Located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Steamtown NHS is open
daily from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., and will be closed o­n
Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years’ Days. From I-81, follow exit 185 (Central
Scranton Expressway) to Lackawanna Avenue, and follow the signs to the park entrance
at Lackawanna and Cliff Avenues.
Additional details regarding interpretive and educational programs and
activities may be obtained by calling (570) 340-5200, toll free (888) 693-9391,
during business hours, or by visiting the Steamtown web site at
_www.nps.gov/stea_ (http://www.nps.gov/stea) anytime!
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railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org
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