Archi-Ted-ture: Beaver St. Masonic Hall

Did you ever have the feeling that no matter how great your were as a kid you could never measure up to the sibling who was your parents favorite? That must be how the building at 15 and 17 North Beaver St in the Market District must feel.

I often wonder if anyone even notices this 150 year old masterpiece with the jewel of York city's architecture right next door. I mean, how are you supposed to pay attention to the amazing façade of York's original Masonic Temple when there are three stories of wrap around porches on the National House right next door. Well I don't play favorites and I have noticed how amazing the old Masonic Hall is.

Built during the Civil War this Gothic Revival masterpiece sports dual entrances on either side of a bay window on the ground floor. The windows on the second and third floors are arched in a church like style. I also enjoy the ornate brickwork along the roofline and between the second and third stories. But my favorite little feature of this building is the way #17 has one more step than #15 to account for the very small slope in Beaver street.

I would guess than many of you who frequent the Market District have walked passed this grand old building hundreds of times without paying it much attention. I hope the next time you are in area you take a second to study it in person. It's the one midway between The Holy Hound and Central Market.

Bear on Beer: Liquid Hero Brewery

The first of my Bear on Beer posts was about a place that sells beer from all around the world through their 30 taps. This one is about a York spot that brews their own. Liquid Hero Brewery opened its doors less than two years ago but they have ridden the wave of craft beer popularity to a thriving business today.

When I first visited their brewpub on North St. the business was so new that they still didn't have a license to sell their beers across the bar. Such are the odd liquor laws of the Commonwealth of PA that they were able to sell their brew in growlers to take home but if you wanted a pint they had to give you a "sample" to sit at the bar with.

Anthony isn't much of a drinker and when he does drink beer he usually went for PA staples like Rolling Rock or Yuengling. So I was lucky that my first visit to Liquid Hero was with our old roommate Jon who is a craft beer aficionado. Between Jon and the owners of the brewery Josh, Matt and Christian I got a tour of all the different types of beers on offer. From ales and IPAs to hefeweizens and stouts Liquid Hero has it all. And if you don't know what you might like the brewers will happily walk you through the options and get a pint in front of you that you'll enjoy.

The brewery came about more than five years ago when it's three founders watched an episode of the History Channel series Modern Marvels all about brewing. They grew through home brewing and eventually got their fantastic location across from York's baseball stadium. The old building you see to the left has been upcycled
into a quintessential brewpub. The back three quarters of the building is where the brewing is done while the front has been turned into a cozy bar that is more like an intimate neighborhood bar of days gone bye. It's quite simply a fantastic place to have a few beers with good friends.

My only regret with the Liquid Hero is that it doesn't have a kitchen of it's own. You can have food delivered from outside vendors which is better than nothing at all but my hope is they experience tons more success that leads to an expansion that will include a rocking menu. Till then you'll just have to peruse my blog for places to go have a bite to eat before or after you have a few of Liquid Hero's great beers.

Archi-Ted-ture:The Cherry & Gay Garage

York City is filled with a lot of amazing old buildings that architects took great pains to make a permanent part of the city. This post isn't about one of those. But it is about architecture all the same. The building you see above is nothing more than a garage or perhaps utility building for storage in it's current life. It is located on the corner of West Gay Avenue and North Cherry lane and one look through it's windows tells you that it's an afterthought to who ever owns it now.

Whenever I walk through that part of town I always take notice of it none the less. The big windows with the rounded tops always look church-like to me. Then there's the clerestory which is the line of windows above the roofline of the outer portions of the building which is designed to bring lite and air into the interior. I also love the brickwork  around the windows and the artistic relief in the top center of the wall. I'm sure it is in horrendous shape but when I look at it I can't help but think how cool it could be as a reclamation project.

The city is filled with amazing old industrial brick buildings and some of them, like the Smyser-Royer Building have been brought back to life. This poor old utilitarian space deserves the same treatment. It would make amazing loft style apartments, an artists space or a restaurant or bar. I happen to think it's location at the corner of Gay and Cherry lends itself to some great names for an establishment.

If it wasn't against the law for stuffed panda's to play the lotto I'd be trying to win so I could buy the place and turn it into what it deserves to be. Until that time it will just be a forgotten structure across a parking lot.

Archi-Ted-Ture: Washington Hall Building

Washington Hall on the corner of George & King built in 1849

The second building in my "building-a-bear" series was very nearly my home. When Anthony and Heidi were looking for a downtown apartment they looked at a loft on the 4th floor of this grand old structure located on the corner of South George and West King.

Built in 1849 the building has, as you might imagine, a long and varied history. The building originally housed a fraternal organization known as the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and so in the early days it was called IOOF Hall. During the Civil War the building was used as a hospital for wounded Confederate officers from the battlefields of Gettysburg, about 30 miles west. Since the captured rebel officers were held there it gives the building the interesting status of a prisoner of war camp.


Drawing of Washington Hall

Later the IOOF Hall housed a theatre for live performances on the second floor which was called Washington Hall. In the 1980's the Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff company renovated the building by making 12 loft style apartments on the upper 3 floors and fitting out retail space on the ground floor. The space is perfect for lofts thanks, in large part, to the nearly twenty foot ceilings on each level which allow for a lofted bedroom to be built almost as if it is a whole separate level.

If this building had a freight elevator there is every chance that it would be where I was sitting and blogging right now. Somehow the thought of carrying all their furniture up 8 modern stories worth of steps kept Anthony and Heidi from picking this one despite all its evident charms. Another small strike against it is the fact that it doesn't look like there's been much updating since the Pfaltzgraff renovation in the 80's.

Archi-Ted-ture: Colonial Hotel Building

One of the Jewels of York Architecture sits at 18 S. George St.

One of the best parts about living in a city like York is all of the fantastic architecture a city this old has to offer. Occasionally on the blog I'm going to introduce you to some of my favorite buildings.

First up on our tour of York's masterpieces is this beauty on the South West corner of the Square. Like most of York's best spaces they have availability if you're looking to rent. Check out this nearly informative yet massively hilarious video to learn more about the retail space available. (glad to know the place is handicap assess-able by the way) The building also features condo spaces for sale like this one, or this one which both sound like great places to live, if York City taxes stopped above the second floor.

Some of the businesses that have been in the building over the years include The Ritz Movie Theater, Eugene Jacobs Men's Wear, People's Drug Store and most notably the Colonia Hotel. Now the building is all about banks, lawyers and a bureau of WGAL. In the 20's and 30's it understandably had a slightly different look, as you can see in this pic bellow including the presence of the spire on top of the corner that is no longer there.


After living in York for the better part of fifteen years I can tell you that I have passed this building hundreds of times but I have only really stopped to appreciate it a pawful of times. Maybe you are the same way. If that is the case I recommend taking some time to sit across the Square and just take in the amazing lines and features of this fantastic piece of art. If it sat on Central Park West the apartments in this place would sell for millions but in York you can pick one up for 100K!