River Street
This is a photo of the Luzerne County Courthouse. The Luzerne County Courthouse was built in 1910. When Wilkes-Barre was booming in the late 1800's, the people cried out for a new gem to show the pride of the city. The process of building the new courthouse tuned out to be a long drawn out process that lasted two decades and required three architects. All in all, the people of Wilkes-Barre got the beautiful centerpiece they wanted. Jeff Plonsky took this photo on October 3,2005 at 2:35 p.m.
The Sterling Hotel is located on the comer of Market and River Streets.
The Sterling Hotel is historically important to Wilkes-Barre because it represents what Wilkes-Barre once was. The Sterling was an icon when it was originally built because it was a grand hotel in downtown Wilkes-Barre, representing the success and wealth in the city at that time. It was also one of the first buildings visitors to Wilkes-Barre saw after crossing the Market Street Bridge. It symbolizes the prosperity of Wilkes-Barre during its peak in the early 20th century. (Zach Brady took the photograph on October 3,2005 at 10:15am.)
This picture of the Market Street Bridge was taken by Krishna Kinariwala at 10:40am on October 3, 2005. The picture shows the two pillars on the east side of the bridge. On each pillar, there are words of encouragement for the city. The bridge was originally built as part of the City Beautiful movement, and was used to connect Kirby Park with the River Commons. The Bridge helped to make the city more lavished and welcoming to incoming visitors.
Located at 16 South River Street, this building has been the headquarters for Guard Insurance Group since the 1980's. It was originally built in 1909 by the firm of Welsh, Sturdevant and Poggi. This is one of many buildings created by the firm "that reflects a finely detailed and lively Classical Revival architectural style" according to Vito Sgromo and Michael Lewis in Wilkes-Barre Architecture 1860-1960. It was first used for the Lehigh and Wilkes-Barre Coal Company's office. According to Dr. Hepp, the building's colossal structure was built both to show off the coal company's powerful image and to strike fear into the hearts of coal miners. Corey Del Vecchio took this picture on the comer of the Market Street Bridge and South River Street at approximately 10:49 a.m. on October 3, 2005.
The closeup picture of the Guard Center was taken by Jessica Gannon on October 3, 2005 at 10:16 am on Market and River Street in Wilkes-Barre. The Guard Center is important for at least two raesons. The first is the simple fact that is one of the tallest buildings in Wilkes-Barre today. The second is what this building stands for. The Guard Center was once part of the Lehigh and Wilkes-Barre Coal Company. This helps symbolism the rise and fall of the city due to the explosion in the mining industry in America being the rapid growth.
Additional caption information supplied by Ashley Balon, Sara Fucci, Krishna Kinariwala, Erin Plank, Joann Scombordi, and Drexel Siok:
The picture is of the Lehigh and Wilkes-Barre Coal Company building, now known as the Guard Center at 16 South River Street. The Lehigh and Wilkes-Barre Coal Company was incorporated in 1874 from two existing companies: The Wilkes-Barre Coal and Iron Company and the Honey Brook Coal Company. The Lehigh and Wilkes-Barre Coal Company was one of the largest corporations in Pennsylvania. It controlled over 34,000 acres of coal lands.
This photograph was taken by Drexel Siok at 9:31am on October 2, 2005. It is a picture of Kirby Hall located on the corner of West South Street and South River Street, which shows a side view of the front entrance to the historic building. Kirby Hall was donated by the Kirby family to Bucknell University Junior College in 1941 and served as the first University President's Home. The building today belongs to Wilkes University and is still a vital part of its campus.
As part of the City Beautiful movement in Wilkes-Barre, street signs were replaced with more ornamental ones. This sign, which marks the intersection of River and Northampton Streets, is a symbol of the early twentieth century. (Photographer: Darci Spohn, taken on October 3, 2005 at 10:00 AM.)
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