Looking Around
C. Emlen Urban
Lancaster's renowned architect may only have designed one example of each of these buildings -- but his skill makes them stand out nonetheless.
Using newly unearthed documentation and other clues, columnist Gregory J. Scott seeks to compile a better record of C. Emlen Urban's vast portfolio.
Many of those buildings, approaching the century mark, still fulfill their intended use.
On Sept. 21, 1925, The New Era reported that “Time may bring other skyscrapers to Lancaster, but the Griest Building will never forfeit its claim to priority.”
Noted local architect designed four small-town banks at the turn of the last century that are worth big-city attention.
Perpendicular Gothic Revival architectural style helped storefront near Penn Square stand out from the others.
On June 25, 1880, 17-year-old C. Emlen Urban stood before classmates, faculty, school directors and guests of honor as the senior class valedictorian for Lancaster High School and delivered a poignant speech of promise and praise. In 1880, th…
After three decades of building homes -- and businesses, churches, schools, markets and more for others -- architect C. Emlen Urban in 1914 finally turned his talents to designing a home for his own family.
Big windows, wide-open interiors and a trio of elevators wowed the Hager Department Store customers of 1911 -- and that's after the elaborate exterior had been unveiled.
Like the proverbial cat with nine lives, the current-day Fulton Theatre has enjoyed nine or more incarnations over its 166-year history.
Architect C. Emlen Urban was well-established before a spate of commissions for houses of worship stretched his design world.
After rising from humble, immigrant beginnings, a local baker turned to Lancaster's renowned C. Emlen Urban to design both bakeries and his family home.
Church commission was a place for architect C. Emlen Urban to break bread -- but not the rules.
C. Emlen Urban faced constant criticism for decisions and costs during the four-year construction process, but the city school, now residences, became a high-water mark of an illustrious career.
C. Emlen Urban's design, combined with economic incentives offered by local government, brought the Switzerland-based company to Lancaster -- and would alter the local business community for decades.
Lancaster's leading architect and Milton S. Hershey struck up a sweet deal that resulted in C. Emlen Urban's strong stylistic influence in the new town of Hershey.
As C. Emlen Urban's career continues to shine, he grabs the attention of New York City developer.
Lancaster's illustrious architect designed many schools, always with a flourish that marked the building's importance in the community at large.
Lancaster's most famous architect didn't limit himself to grand public buildings. Prominent locals commissioned him to design their homes, too.
This is the fourth in an 18-part series highlighting the work of Lancaster's preeminent 19th- and 20th-century architect, Cassius Emlen Urban.
In his decade in private practice, Urban had completed more than 26 commissions representing eight building types and eight architectural styles.
Meeting candy magnate Milton S. Hershey gave Urban a push into the world of designing mansions and other private projects.
How did C. Emlen Urban influence Lancaster's "look?" We examine his first project up close.
A hundred years ago, C. Emlen Urban was designing many of the buildings that still shape what we think of, when we think of Lancaster.
Lancaster County Architecture
Following our multipart series on architect C. Emlen Urban, this is the first in a series that will focus on another architect whose talents had an impact on the Lancaster County we still live in every day.
Many cities, it seems, have a particular iconic building that defines the skyline. Lancaster’s, of course, would be the Griest Building - the only skyscraper here prior to the construction of the Marriott hotel at the Lancaster County Convent…
The current City Hall building at 120 N. Duke St. certainly looks the part – it’s an imposing, historic-looking building that just exudes importance.
Like most young cities, Colonial-era Lancaster had its courthouse as a focal point of the community.
Editor's note: This story was originally published in Oct. 2014.
Even the smallest of railroad passenger stations were given great architectural consideration and attention to detail.
So you have your farmhouse and you have your barn ... what else do you need? Two hundred years ago, you'd just have been getting started.
Eastlake's exterior style isn't developed from architecture, but from 19th-century furniture design. Here's how.
The lion has been used as an architectural symbol for centuries -- and the animal's featured more often than you might realize in Lancaster's art and architecture.