Tag Archives: Front Street

Harrisburg’s East Shore YMCA begins planning for renovation, service expansion

March 2, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

East Shore YMCA

You can exercise, swim and take your kids to the East Shore YMCA, but in the coming years, you might be able to do a lot more there.

Local Y officials announced recently that the organization is considering significant renovations and changes to its historic facility, which would increase its role as a community hub.

“We hope to end up with a modern YMCA with services Harrisburg can enjoy,” said Harrisburg Area YMCA President and CEO David Ozmore.

Ozmore, who began in his position in June 2022, painted a picture of an aging East Shore Y that also faces significant financial challenges due to the pandemic. The remodel would aim to boost its economic situation and bring the building up to date.

The Y, located along N. Front Street downtown, dates back to 1930s when it was built and opened to the public. More recently, the wellness center was added onto the building in 2003. In total, the Y owns 2.3 acres of land, making up almost an entire city block.

Possible renovations may include changes to the current wellness center, which is elevated over the parking lot, and the Y’s administration building adjacent to the main recreational center.

The main building is considered historical and therefore will not undergo significant changes, Ozmore explained.

The Y is working with national firm Gro Development, which provides services to nonprofits, especially YMCA’s around the country.

While Ozmore explained that the Y is still in the brainstorming stage of the process, he shared that they are interested in building out space for local businesses and organizations to lease. They have proposed bringing in medical providers and banks and offering housing to seniors or low-income tenants. The Y would also seek to renovate existing gyms and create additional multipurpose rooms and spaces for group fitness classes.

The Y has put together a task force of around 20 community members to help advise the organization on development.

“At the end of the day, it’s not about what the Y wants, but what the residents need,” Ozmore said.

However, a motivating factor in the decision to renovate comes out of the facility’s unfavorable economic situation, Ozmore said.

According to Ozmore, between February 2020 and the summer of 2021, the East Shore Y lost 56% of its members. While it has since recovered some of that loss, membership is still only at about 85% of what it was pre-COVID.

A proposed model of making space for tenants in the building would allow them to share costs, as well as hopefully bring in more traffic to the facility, Ozmore said.

The next step for the Y will be to issue a request for proposals from developers. However, it may be over a year before the project begins. In total, Ozmore estimates it will be a three- to-four-year-long project.

Ozmore said that the goal is to keep the facility open throughout the majority of the construction process, although parking may be limited at times.

At the project’s completion, he said that there will likely be more parking included.

Overall, Ozmore’s goal is to make sure the East Shore Y better serves Harrisburg residents.

“It’s for the common good—to make our community stronger,” he said.

For more information about the East Shore YMCA, visit their website.

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Stuck Trucks: Harrisburg, PennDOT move to enforce fines for drivers stuck under Front Street bridge

August 4, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

New sign at Front and Chestnut streets

If you’re a truck driver, this is your sign to avoid passing under the rail bridge on Front Street in Harrisburg.

Truck drivers that get stuck under the railroad bridge while heading out of the city may be liable to pay a fine, and the city and PennDOT are cracking down on enforcement.

On Thursday, Harrisburg announced that it had installed new signage, in partnership with PennDOT, at the intersection of Front and Chestnut streets, as well as near Verbeke Street. The signs state that vehicles over 12-feet, 6-inches in height are prohibited from traveling any further.

Trucks getting stuck under the bridge, near the UPMC Harrisburg Hospital, has become a nearly daily occurrence, according to Matt Maisel, communications director for the city.

To avoid this, Harrisburg urges drivers to turn onto Forster Street or the Harvey Taylor Bridge, Market Street or the Market Street Bridge, or Chestnut Street as a last possibility.

With the new signage, the city expects enforcement to increase, Maisel said. The use of the word “prohibited” gives traffic enforcement more safe, legal grounds to fine drivers who find themselves stuck under the bridge, he said. Under state law, drivers can be fined up to $500.

“We needed something more visual to drivers that indicated this was prohibited to travel,” Maisel said. “Having a sign which explicitly states that going any further is prohibited, we hope will stop drivers from going any further.”

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Harrisburg announces plans for July 4th festival, including food trucks and fireworks

June 28, 2022 | by Ellen Frantz

Mayor Wanda Williams announces the July 4th Food Truck Festival at a press conference on Tuesday.

Harrisburg will celebrate the Fourth of July this year with a bang.

The city will host its annual July 4th Food Truck Festival and Fireworks event, Mayor Wanda Williams announced at a press conference on Tuesday.

“Downtown Harrisburg is going to be a party for the 4th of July and I can’t wait to celebrate,” Williams said. “Harrisburg is at its best on days like this, when families can experience our city together. We really can’t wait to see the fun they’re going to have when they come to Riverfront Park.”

From 1 to 9 p.m. on Monday, July 4, over 45 food trucks will line N. Front Street. Harrisburg festival classics, such as funnel cakes and Farm Show milkshakes, will be offered, but new food options will be available as well. Additionally, there will be vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. Beer and wine gardens will feature drinks from five different breweries and vineyards.

Local businesses such as Yellow Bird Café, JB Lovedraft’s Micropub, Stock’s on 2nd and others will also offer unique items that can only be found for the holiday weekend.

Six musical acts will perform on the Capital Blue Cross Live Music Stage, including groups like Big Sky Quartet and Big Fat Meanies. This year, the Air National Guard Band of the Northeast will be performing onstage between Liberty and State streets beginning at 2:15 p.m.

For families with small children, there will be a Kids Zone where children can get free balloon animals and face painting.

City Island businesses will also be open for anyone who wants to take a ride on the railroad, play a round of Water Golf, or cruise the river on the Pride of the Susquehanna.

To conclude the evening, at around 9:15 p.m., the city will shoot off fireworks, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. The show, produced by Bixler Pyrotechnics, will last 15 minutes and include 2,000 shells. The city’s fireworks display will commence after the Harrisburg Senators’ own fireworks display following their game against the Erie Seawolves.

At 4 p.m., 6 p.m., and by candlelight at 8 p.m., a John Harris Jr. re-enactor will read the Declaration of Independence on the steps of the John Harris-Simon Cameron Mansion.

Street parking is free during the holiday. Parking on City Island will cost $5 and Market Square Garage parking from 1 p.m. to midnight will be $10. Handicapped parking is available on State Street, and free bike parking is available at Walnut Street. Front Street will be closed from 9 a.m. to midnight, and the Market Street Bridge will be closed westbound from 6:30 p.m. to midnight.

For more information on Harrisburg’s July 4th celebration, visit their website.

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A Lasting Legacy: Why did the Jewish Federation decide to buy the former Dixon Center–and what comes next?

May 31, 2022 | by M. Diane McCormick

The Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg envisions a lap pool and convertible ‘gymatorium’ for Duncan Hall on its new Grass Campus.

“It takes one second to walk on the campus and be inspired by what’s happening here, and a lot of people felt that immediately.”

Abby Smith, president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg, is giving TheBurg a tour of the Alexander Grass Campus for Jewish Life. Seen through her eyes and ebullience, the reimagined but still-vacant space—most recently known as Dixon University Center—truly does seem to hum with activity.

Abby Smith

“Our current campus just doesn’t reflect who the Jewish community is,” she said. “We didn’t look on the outside how we are on the inside—this very philanthropic, community-minded set of organizations in this not-that-spectacular space. This lives up to who our community is.”

The Jewish Federation is “planting a seed” that will radiate throughout central Pennsylvania, said Benedict Dubbs, president of the campus designer, Murray Associates Architects.

“It is not just limited to the Jewish culture,” Dubbs said. “That opportunity for education, that opportunity for engagement, that sense of community is so much more now because of the size and the relationship of the campus to the surrounding neighborhoods and the surrounding community.”

Past and Future

The Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg encompasses several initiatives supporting Jewish life and overall community wellbeing, including the Jewish Community Center and Brenner Family Early Learning Center. Other groups, including Jewish Family Service of Greater Harrisburg, rent space from the federation as they carry out collaborative missions.

Since 1958, the center of the region’s Jewish community has been the JCC at 3301 N. Front St. Today, the building buzzes, beehive-like, with yoga classes, childcare, Jewish education, music recitals, lectures, film festivals, senior lunches, summer camps, religious observances, board meetings and busy staff.

And like a beehive, the space is crammed beyond capacity. News in August 2020 that Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education was selling its six-acre, underutilized Dixon University Center three blocks down Front Street set off a cascade of activity. Calls to backers. Board votes. Dialog with tenants and stakeholders. Preparing a bid. Finally, accepting the gift that made it all possible—backing from the Alexander Grass Foundation to help buy the $4.56 million site.

The foundation president, Elizabeth Grass Weese, and her brother, Roger Grass—children of the late Rite Aid founder and philanthropist Alex Grass—appreciated the site’s self-sustaining business model, said Smith. They also liked “the idea that their dad’s legacy could be connected not just to such a beautiful campus and Harrisburg’s Jewish community but to future generations, as well. Alexander Grass was a huge part of how Jewish Harrisburg was on the map nationally, and this puts us back on the map.”

Sandy Cohen, past president of the JCC and the Jewish Federation, is co-chairing fundraising for the new site. He attended kindergarten in the JCC, when the building was new and marked a new era for Harrisburg’s Jewish community as it moved from the Midtown building that now houses H*MAC.

Cohen “grew up in that building,” the social hub where kids bowled and danced, he said.

“Someone built that for us,” he said. “It’s now 65 years later, and our current building—it needs a lot. The Grasses did this for us. Giving back to the community, I can’t say no. If someone did it for us, I want to do it for that next generation, for generations to come.”

Room to Grow

With the October 2021 announcement that the federation had submitted the winning bid for the site, the Grass Campus was born.

“While we did not have requirements for the use of the property, we believe the Jewish Federation’s plans are a good fit for the location and the community,” said PASSHE spokesman Kevin Hensil.

Programs Director Terri Travers envisions a space that strengthens community ties through expansion in fitness and recreation, summer camp, children’s theater and senior living.

“We’ve already been able here at the ‘J’ to have some intergenerational programs, but I really see us being able to expand our offerings,” she said. “The sky’s the limit. We want to make sure we’re serving the needs of the community for generations to come.”

A vision of better serving the entire community is driving the transformation, said Smith. Plans tuck existing uses and programs into the campus buildings constructed, mostly, in the early 20th century for the original site developer, Harrisburg Academy:

Education. The early childhood center, currently in the JCC basement, will no longer flood with tropical storm mud but with light flowing through tall windows into rooms made more spacious by knocking down walls. Silver Academy, Harrisburg’s Jewish day school, will move to Duncan Hall, across 2nd Street from the main campus.
Senior and wellness programming. Clinical space already equipped with sinks and floor drains—and in one room, an eye wash station—create possibilities for partnering with a health care organization.
Spaces campus-wide for conferences, meetings and gallery showings. An ornate hall could host recitals and lectures. Duncan Hall’s “gymatorium” will have a sleek stage and backdrops that convert a new basketball court into event space.
Office space for federation staff. Travers said that she finally will have separate storage for the program detritus cluttering her current office—water bottles, boxing equipment, keychains and a Slip ‘N Slide “that looks pretty darn fun.”
A 15,000-square-foot fitness center on the administration building’s second floor. Whether on cardio equipment or the balcony just meant for yoga and tai chi, members will have serenity-inducing views of the quadrangle and river. A lap pool will be part of the gym complex in Duncan Hall.
Jewish Family Service in the former PASSHE chancellor’s home. JFS offerings include clinical counseling and therapy, adoption and foster care, refugee resettlement and food assistance. Clients will be invited to wait in a glass-enclosed solarium that is Smith’s favorite room on the campus. “When you’re coming in for social services, to be in a home is just special,” she said.

The grassy quadrangle bordered by campus buildings and Front Street will remain unspoiled. For one thing, there’s a parking garage underneath. For another, it’s just beautiful, and the Jewish Federation likes it that way. Smith envisions neighborhood residents walking their dogs. Dubbs sees outdoor lectures and movie nights. A volunteer committee of landscapers and arborists is developing plans for the site, including the early learning center’s garden-to-table curriculum.

“Within Judaism, there are so many values that connect back to the earth,” said Smith, citing the Tikkun Olam teaching of a “responsibility to heal the world. It is within our tradition to care about the spaces that we inherit on the earth.”

Other volunteers are offering their expertise to develop IT schemes or address security. “I think they just need to be asked,” said Smith, a volunteer whose day job is president and CEO of Team Pennsylvania. “Just give them the opportunity to step up.”

Within that volunteer cadre, Cohen and his wife, Marcia—who led development of the JCC’s childcare in the early 1980s—see young leaders emerging.

“I’m now the old guard, but I’m happy to see that younger people are stepping up to take leadership roles,” Cohen said. “They’re enthusiastic about it. They’re excited about it.”

Much of the office space will be ready for occupancy this year. Completion of the early learning center and the gym will stretch into 2023, but “hopefully, early 2023,” said Smith. Programs are expected to continue uninterrupted through the transition.

The master plan allows flexibility to meet current needs while adapting to future, unseen developments, said Dubbs.

“If this is a very large book, I think we are in the early chapters of something that will write itself over many years and decades, and it will become better and better,” he said.

Just like the JCC today, much of the Grass Campus will serve the non-Jewish community, said Smith. After all, the conversion also embodies the Jewish value of tzedakah, “an obligation to giving back.”

“We’re here for generations to come, but in a way that better serves the community, that better connects to the community,” she said. “To me, with what we’re able to do on this campus, it changed the future.”

For more information on the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg, visit www.jewishharrisburg.org.

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Frozen on Front Street: Harrisburg’s Ice & Fire Festival will feature ice sculptures, entertainment

March 3, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

Harrisburg held a press conference on Thursday in the MLK City Government Center.

This weekend, Harrisburg is set to get a lot cooler.

At a press conference on Thursday, the city announced details for the Ice & Fire Festival, which will bring ice sculptures and entertainment to the city.

“This is our fifth annual edition of this beloved winter festival,” said city Business Administrator Dan Hartman. “So get your mittens and scarves and prepare for a great time.”

On Saturday, March 5, Front Street will transform into a winter festival with food trucks and entertainment. Over 50 ice sculptures also will be spread around the city at locations in downtown, Midtown, Reservoir Park, Italian Lake, Shipoke and on City Island.

The festival will take place on Front Street, from Walnut to State streets, and include activities like an ice slide, fire pits with free s’mores kits, fire dancers and performances by local school and community groups. The festival will begin at 11 a.m. and run through 8 p.m.

That portion of Front Street will be closed to vehicle traffic from 8 p.m. on Friday, March 4, to midnight on March 5.

Community members can view ice sculptures around the city from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. They will be illuminated at 7 p.m. Sculptures will include a polar bear, throne, ballet dancer, carousel horse, peace sign and beer mug, among other shapes.

When visiting the ice sculptures, people can participate in a scavenger hunt for a chance to win gift cards from Harrisburg businesses. Each sculpture will have a QR code and participants must scan at least 10 different sculptures to enter the drawing.

“We love having this event,” said Nora Habig, regional president for M&T Bank, the main sponsor of the festival. “It brings everybody out during a time of year when it’s sometimes hard to find something to do outside.”

Additionally, local businesses will offer special fire and ice-themed cocktails and coffee drink specials.

At the festival, Harrisburg’s Urban Churn will host a “Frozen Inferno Challenge,” where participants will attempt to eat spicy ice cream to win a prize.

Organizations around the city, will offer children’s activities and crafts, as well.

Street parking is free after 5 p.m. on Saturday in the downtown area and free all day on Sunday. Get four hours of free downtown street parking using the code LUVHBG on the Parkmobile app. A discounted $10 daily rate is available at the Market Square Garage courtesy of Park Harrisburg on March 5. Parking on City Island is free. Check the city’s website for parking options in other areas of the city.

For a full schedule and map of the Ice & Fire Festival, visit their website.

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Jewel in the Crown: After an extensive renovation, Harrisburg’s stately King Mansion opens for public use

August 31, 2021 | by Rachel Curry

Photos by Elliot Samuel from Hommati Photography. Courtesy of King Mansion.

When the traffic isn’t too heavy, David Morrison, executive director of the Historic Harrisburg Association, guides his bus groups down Front Street at a smooth 10 mph.

This gives him the chance to point out all the significant buildings that make up the streetscape. Morrison’s tour consists of the likes of the Harris-Cameron Mansion, Governor’s Row and—of course—King Mansion.

His focus on King Mansion makes sense. Built in the 1920s, the mansion may be the grandest privately owned residence in Harrisburg. Dressed in a red tile roof and surrounded by Mediterranean-style balusters, King Mansion’s presence is remarkable.

“It’s just an amazing feast for the eyes,” Morrison said.

About four years ago, an engineer named Marc Kurowski purchased the mansion as office space for his firm, K&W Engineers. But it wasn’t long before the new owner adjusted his focus. He restored some parts of the property to their original stature, redesigned others in a modern light, and, ultimately, enlivened the space as a whole.

Today, the second floor remains a K&W Engineering office. But for the first time in the mansion’s century-long history, the first floor is a space suited for public events like weddings, fundraisers and networking socials. With the gentlemen’s quarters, the salon space and the sprawling, well-lit ballroom that seats 160, the mansion is all dressed up, ready to host an extremely nice party.

Full Reign

Horace King, the original owner, didn’t have much of a personal impact on Harrisburg.

He was a businessman who lived in the city for just a brief time, walking to work every day from his home. His building, though, left a far larger footprint (even without the original bowling-alley-turned-shooting-range that King himself put in).

“It kind of proclaimed the peak of the extravagance of the roaring ‘20s in its size and its design,” Morrison said.

Kurowski isn’t the first business owner to claim the King Mansion. There were other offices before his, but he was the first to turn the mansion toward the public. Plus, he took out any traces of bland, office-style interior, giving the mansion’s grandeur full reign.

These days, most of Kurowski’s engineering team works remotely, but for those who do venture in, the staff feels a special kinship with their workplace. With Wi-Fi throughout the property, there’s no shortage of spots to get work done—a balcony, a terrace, you name it.

Kurowski’s effort to transform King Mansion is crucial in one key way. What was once a drive-by for Harrisburg locals and commuters is now a place where many people will get a chance to visit, if only for an evening.

With a quick glance of the interior, you’ll see that Kurowski has made sure to maintain and restore many historical parts of the mansion, but the work isn’t done.

“I have a good friend who does a lot of very detailed historic restoration up at the Capitol, and he’s been champing at the bit to get in here and kind of strip it down,” said Kurowski, pointing to painted-over cameos and molding.

Future Growth

Since opening the King Mansion to public use, demand for the space has been strong, especially for weddings.

In January, Gov. Tom Wolf even hosted a pre-presidential inauguration gala there, with hundreds of people under cozy, heated tents on the lawn that faces the river, smack-dab in the middle of a COVID-19 winter.

Mostly, Kurowski is glad that the King Mansion, which he bought in 2017, is no longer closed off, the exclusive province of the insurance and tech companies that once made it their headquarters.

With dozens of events planned throughout the year, you soon may find yourself sipping a cocktail while marveling at the interior restoration, a wonderful secret behind every corner. This includes functions by many nonprofit groups, including Historic Harrisburg, which itself plans an event in December.

In a broader way, Kurowski is pleased that he’s been able to contribute to his hometown in such a significant way.

“I still think that there are loads of unrealized potential in the city, in all kinds of ways,” Kurowski said, speaking like the engineer he is. “There’s growth to be done.”

King Mansion is located at 2201 North Front St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit, www.kingmansionpa.com. The mansion also will be a stop for the 30th Annual “Elegant Progressions” dinner, presented by the Historic Harrisburg Association and the Kidney Foundation of Central Pennsylvania, slated for Friday, Dec. 3 and Saturday, Dec. 4. For ticket information, visit www.elegantprogressions.org.

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City presents Walnut, Chestnut street projects to improve safety, connectivity downtown

November 17, 2020 | by Maddie Conley Gittens

Walnut Street in downtown Harrisburg

City engineers’ wheels are spinning when it comes to travel in Harrisburg.

At a pop-up event in Strawberry Square on Tuesday, City Engineer Wayne Martin and project designers presented their East-West Multimodal Connection Project to improve safety and multi-modal access downtown.

“We want to protect our most vulnerable pedestrians and bicyclists,” Martin said.

Sections of Chestnut and Walnut streets will see substantial construction, adding bike lanes, increased parking and sidewalk enhancements.

Parts of these corridors are listed on Harrisburg’s high injury network and are crash-prone streets, Martin said.

Besides safety reasons, Martin said the project has an economic aspect.

“Pedestrian and bike improvements tend to increase the amount residents stop at retail shops and restaurants,” he said.

The improvements will intersect with the Capital Area Greenbelt, Martin said, making bike travel through the city more efficient. People will be able to move more safely from the Walnut Street pedestrian bridge to Strawberry Square and the state Capitol complex, he said.

The Walnut Street portion of the project will extend from the pedestrian bridge on Front Street to 4^th Street.

Walnut Street concept

Walnut will be re-striped to include an eastbound contraflow bike lane and westbound sharrow markers, which indicate shared bike/vehicle lanes. For easy access from the pedestrian bridge, a bike-only crosswalk will stretch across Front Street.

A raised intersection will be constructed at Walnut and 2nd streets to slow traffic and improve pedestrian visibility. Sidewalks along Walnut Street will also be improved.

Between 3^rd and 4^th streets, Walnut will be widened to include a westbound bike lane in addition to the eastbound lane. There will be parking on both sides of the street, along with a bus stop.

Chestnut Street concept

Chestnut Street additions include re-striping for east and westbound bike lanes. Curbs at the 3^rd Street intersection will be extended to protect cars, and portions of the sidewalk along Chestnut will be reconstructed. A bus loading and unloading area will be added and a raised crosswalk at South Dewberry Street will be built. The Dewberry Street Loop will also be re-striped to include more parking.

The East-West Multimodal Connection Project is part of Harrisburg’s Vision Zero initiative to decrease pedestrian fatalities in the city.

Capital Area Transit, Harristown Enterprises, Harrisburg Housing Authority, the Department of General Services and the Downtown Improvement District collaborated with the city to provide input, Martin said.

The multimodal project is in the preliminary planning phase and construction is expected to begin in 2022.

Costs are expected to be around $1.4 million, and the city already has received $500,000 in grants for the project, said project manager Matt Shinton of Kimley-Horn engineering firm.

Martin is encouraging residents to complete a survey on their website to provide feedback on the project.

“We feel like we got a good collaboration with stakeholders, but ultimately we want residents to comment as well,” he said.

Other Vision Zero projects in the design phase include the “Courthouse Connection” project that will extend a pedestrian and bicyclist friendly corridor on Boyd Street from N. 3^rd to N. 6^th street. Martin said they are waiting on construction funding.

State Street improvements are also in the works to make one of the most dangerous roads on the east coast safer for pedestrians. The project, which includes a major “road diet” to reduce the number of travel lanes is fully funded and looking at a spring construction start, according to Martin.

Plans for 7^th Street feature a roundabout, which will be constructed near the new federal courthouse and a center median with street trees. Martin said that project is currently in the bidding stage.

A 2nd Street project to convert the road from one-way to two-way should be accepting bids by the end of the year, Martin said.

“It’s going to be crazy next year,” he said.

For more information on Vision Zero, visit visionzerohbg.com.

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House Call: One of Harrisburg’s oldest buildings undergoes “paneful” examination

October 22, 2020 | by M. Diane McCormick

Restoration expert John Lindtner examines a window in the Haldeman Haly House as Karen Cullings, executive director of the Dauphin County Library System, looks on.

John Lindtner raised the question: Does it make sense to replace a window that has survived 200 years with one that might last 30?

“They say, in my world, that the greenest window is the window that’s already built,” he said as he diagnosed the health of a 200-year-old window. “It doesn’t make sense to fill up the landfill with these windows.”

The window restoration expert did, though, have a word about the storm windows that appeared to be approaching the half-century mark.

“You have my blessing to replace the storm windows, because I believe the storm windows can be improved,” he said.

Lindtner was inside the library of the Haldeman Haly House (pictured), the Governor’s Row home called by architectural historian Ken Frew one of Harrisburg’s top-five most historic buildings.

Lindtner’s visit on Wednesday was a “house call” sponsored by Historic Harrisburg Association, funded with a gift from the Auchincloss Family Fund. He was there to advise Dauphin County Library System on the feasibility of restoring the windows of the circa-1812 home that the library acquired in 2019 to expand its programming, community, and administrative space.

The 5,458-square-foot house at 27 N. Front Street was built by Stephen Hills, architect of the first Pennsylvania State Capitol, and was home to Sara Haldeman Haly, whose bequest in 1896 seeded the Dauphin County Library System. The library system is running a capital campaign to raise $3.5 million to renovate and link the building to its McCormick Riverfront branch next door–the original branch built on the site of Sara Haldeman Haly’s garden.

“This building came to us like manna from heaven in a lot of ways because not only is this, obviously, right next to our library, but there’s a really important shared history here,” said Dauphin County Library System Executive Director Karen Cullings.

The Haldeman Haly House’s soaring, arched front windows face the Susquehanna River, Market Street Bridge and City Island. The north-facing side windows overlook the library roof, buildings along and behind Walnut Street, and–peeking above it all–the dome of the state’s 1906 Capitol, the second replacement of Hills’ creation, burned in an 1897 fire.

With the exception of a north-side sill rotted by water damage from broken spouting, the windows definitely merit restoration, said Lindtner, founder of Chester County-based Building Preservation Services.

“There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this window,” he said. “There’s just a lot of paint on it from close to 200 years.”

With weather stripping and good storm windows, which can be custom-made to fit unique shapes such as the Haldeman Haly House’s arches, a restored window can achieve respectable energy efficiency, he said.

Historic windows endure because they were built with old-growth timber, he added. “To replace these windows would be very much a mortal sin.”

The library has been advised to cover the windows for the winter, said Cullings. Lindtner concurred–with one caveat. Don’t seal too tightly.

“You want to have some opportunity for it to vent in the event it gets wet,” he said. “If it gets wet and can’t dry out, you’re creating a bigger headache.”

When panes need to be replaced, the “wavy glass” of the handmade age can be replaced with salvaged historic glass or even glass new-made with characteristically wavy touches. As Lindtner and Cullings investigated a top-floor room under the home’s dormered windows, Lindtner decided not to try to open one that housed a wasp nest.

“See what you inherited?” he asked Cullings.

“I know,” she said. “It’s lovely.”

Historic Harrisburg Association Executive Director David Morrison called the Haldeman Haly House the most historic house on Governor’s Row for its history across multiple centuries.

Cullings declared the building in “not that bad” shape, in need of cosmetic work but otherwise stable. She promised to “make it beautiful again,” like the historic library next door. Restoring the windows suits that theme.

“We definitely want to be able to preserve as much of it as we can,” she said. “Obviously, we have to deal with budgets, and we’re a nonprofit, but we’re hoping we’ll be able to preserve all of it, if we can. I like to feel like I’m honoring the heritage of it. I don’t want to be doing things to it that are going to make it look asymmetric and out of whack with what the original designers had in mind.”

The Harrisburg Architectural Review Board will Zoom-meet at 6 p.m. Nov. 2 to consider the library’s request to remove some non-original additions and build a connector between the Haldeman Haly House and the McCormick Riverfront branch library.

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The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

September 18, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda and Maddie Conley

Jordan Dandy stands on the corner Front and Forster Streets with the message “You’re so important.”

It’s Harrisburg Takeout Month! Order in from your favorite restaurant and then catch up on the news you may have missed from this past week, listed and linked below.

“Bike to Work Week” starts on Monday in Harrisburg, and the city is setting up pop-up bike lanes to encourage bicycling. The initiative is part of the city’s “Vision Zero” plan to decrease pedestrian and cyclist fatalities, our online story reports.

Capital region arts organizations will get a share of grant money distributed statewide, it was announced last week. Eight Dauphin County organizations will receive funding, including the Susquehanna Art Museum and the Harrisburg Symphony Association, our online story reports.

CONTACT Helpline is celebrating 50 years of assisting people in need of emotional support and connections to human services. Check out the story of the organization that has provided a listening ear to so many.

COVID-19 cases remained stable in Pennsylvania over the past week, our online story reports. They did, however, spike in counties with large college campuses.

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Jordan Dandy has been standing on the corner of Front and Forster streets for two weeks with the message, “I value you,” written on poster board. For many, he has become a bright spot in their morning commute. Check out his story in our online article.

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Jordan Dandy has a message for Harrisburg: “I value you”

September 18, 2020 | by Maddie Conley

Jordan Dandy stands at Front and Forster streets.

It’s been two weeks since Jordan Dandy began standing on the corner of Front and Forster streets with a message of positivity.

Now, his appearance has become a regular sight, helping to cheer up hazy-eyed commuters during their routine morning drives.

Each morning, he stands at the side of the busy road and holds a sign reading “I value you” on one side and “You’re so important” on the other.

“I care about people a lot,” Dandy said. “I feel like my purpose on earth is to love in a way that is tangible and people can feel valued. I want people to have some sort of light in the midst of literally parts of our country on fire.”

A little over two weeks ago, Dandy was in the hospital with a serious infection. During that time, he found out his hero, actor Chadwick Boseman, died.

This, combined with everything else going on in the country, had Dandy feeling down.

After listening to a speech by Boseman on finding your purpose, Dandy came up with the idea to make the sign.

“I want to give people hope,” he said. “I’m not just going to give up on this year. I’m going to make this year good.”

When Dandy first started going out each morning, people were confused, he said. Some tried to give him money. One man asked if he was hitchhiking, and others stopped to ask why he was there.

Eventually, he started recognizing people. He waved to kids on the school bus and shouted, “Have a nice day!” to commuters. Dandy said that one woman even wrote him a card saying how she had just moved to the city and seeing him every day made the move easier.

“That’s what it’s about,” he said.

He said that he chose the words for his sign very carefully. He didn’t want his message to be political.

“I think it’s good to have your opinions and to have a strong belief, but, if at the end of the day that leaves you hating your neighbor, I don’t think that’s good,” he said. “I want the best for someone else, no matter what their stance is politically.”

Dandy and his brother Cory Dandy make up the indie-pop band Dandy. They performed virtually at Harrisburg’s July Fourth and Kipona Festivals.

Even as the band is hard at work making music, Dandy said that he plans to continue going out with his sign through the end of September, at least.

Occasionally his friend Bobby Bohr joins him with a sign saying “I care about you” and “You’re worthy of love.”

While Dandy’s message is for the people driving by, he said the experience has given him hope, as well.

Although not everyone has the guts to stand on the street with a sign, Dandy said it’s the simple things that make a difference. He encouraged people to say thank you to their mail carrier and trash collector or be intentional about showing kindness to a stranger.

“People want to feel appreciated and valued,” he said. “Just be sincere in simple acts of kindness.”

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