Scranton CNJ Freight House

What is the current status of the large CNJ freight house in Scranton? The one that was at the end of the CNJ line?

I was there 10 years ago and it was standing but all boarded up and looked like it was about to fall over. Assuming it's been boarded up since 1972 and made of all wood it's probably not going to be fixed but torn down.

Building is still in good shape. There were some articles in the Scranton Times last year about the building being used as a restaurant/niteclub complex but nothing has come to past. The bulk of the exterior of the building is actually brick. This site has some great pictures of the freighthouse www.gingerb.com

Is the building still for sale? Anyone know the real estate agent's phone #?
I doubt it's in "good shape". The BC site show it was boarded up in 1975. That's a long time without any preventative maint.

The building is owned by a relative of a friend of mine. The last time he heard anything going on was that the relative was planning on putting in a resturant but that seems to have fallen through. I believe the building has had a new roof put on in the last four years.

Can you find out if he is interested in selling the building "as is". A buddy of mine may be interested in purchasing it.

metman499 wrote:The building is owned by a relative of a friend of mine. The last time he heard anything going on was that the relative was planning on putting in a resturant but that seems to have fallen through. I believe the building has had a new roof put on in the last four years.

I took a good look at the building a few weeks ago while flying over Steamtown. Looked like the roof was fine from about 1/2 mile above it. Was nice to trace some of the rail lines in the area. Hopefully the historical integrity will be maintained by the ultimate owner.

I have confirmed that the roof had been repaired and that the building isn't for sale.

Ken W2KB wrote:I took a good look at the building a few weeks ago while flying over Steamtown. Looked like the roof was fine from about 1/2 mile above it. Was nice to trace some of the rail lines in the area. Hopefully the historical integrity will be maintained by the ultimate owner.

I spent a couple of nights in Scranton last October. One of 'em, I took a close look at the freight house. I would say it's in good enough shape to be considered for renovation into something else.

Also, there's a large field next to the house ... old yard site maybe? It'd make a great parking lot should a retail business locate there.

There's a brandy-new bank across the street. If the freight house were fixed up, too, that stretch of road would look pretty nice.

* JB *

Heh... that road need a lot of work before anything can look nice!

When I was in Scranton several years ago, they were just finishing up replacing a new roof on the building with new down spouts. They painstakingly restored the roof to the original (slate) style and it looked great. Several windows were without boards and you could look inside. There were old posters on the walls and furniture inside that we could see. At that time I learned they were repairing the building for a restaurant.