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Saving Buchanan Park 'Bond House'
TO THE EDITORS:
Several recent letters have been critical of destroying historic buildings in the area and asking why they could not have been saved. We do have a chance to save one local building, but only for a few months.
I am talking about the Bond House that sits in Buchanan Park, behind the Franklin & Marshall campus.
Actually, the Bond House is not a historical building, since it is only a replica of the original Lancaster County Court House. The historical value is not the building itself but its use. It was built and used to sell World War I Liberty Bonds in front of the Watt and Shand building downtown. After the war, it was moved to its present location in the park. The students from Stevens Technology School did some work on the building a few years ago, but now it needs more, lots more.
We, the members of the Lancaster County Loyalty Day Committee, are thinking of restoring the building, but it takes a lot of money, about $100,000. We have just over half that amount, but we need to know that local companies and the public would be interested in helping to support the cause. We can't go for grants, since the building has no historical value. But we think it is worth saving.
If you agree, please contact us at Loyalty Day Committee, PO Box 10811, Lancaster, Pa., 17605, or call 201-9227 and leave a message to say you would be willing to lend a hand.
The reason special buildings disappear is because it takes so much money to restore them and it doesn't seem to be worth the money or the effort. But if we don't do the restoration, then a special part of our past will be gone forever.
Can we count on your help?
Joe Wells
Loyalty Day Committee
Lancaster
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