x
Breaking News
More () »

Community rallies against the demolition of Fleet Wing building in Lancaster

On Tuesday, the Lancaster City Historical Commission discussed the next steps for the Fleet Wing building on West King Street.

LANCASTER, Pa. — The discussion surrounding the demolition of a historic building in downtown Lancaster continued at the city's Historical Commission meeting on Tuesday.

The Fleet Wing Building on West King Street was built in 1940, and it's the last one-story, porcelain-enamel, tile building in Lancaster.

"I don't want them to destroy it—I want them to keep it," Sally Armbruster, a Lancaster resident, said at the meeting. 

Armbruster is one of several people in Lancaster who wants to save the old building from being torn down.

"I think it has historical value, and we should share it," she said. "I also think tourists would love it."

Hager Parking Properties, the current owner of the Fleet Wing building, plans to knock it down to make way for a multi-residential building with business and retail space.

"We're not trying to demolish the building and throw it in the dumpster," Matthew Fitzsimmons with Hord Coplan Macht, Inc., the architectural company that is working with Hager Parking on the project, said. 

Lancaster's Historical Commission offered a few ideas on next steps for the building. 

One attendee suggested the city relocate it to the courtyard of the residential building, but Hager Parking Properties representatives said that too could cause issues. The Historical Commission was in agreement with this view.

"It seems to me that probably the best solution is to move the building or to reconstruct it somewhere else," Steven Funk, a member of the Historical Commission, said. 

Ultimately, the Historical Commission and Hager Parking Properties both agreed that the Fleet Wing Building should not be demolished, but saved.

"The development team is very aware of the importance of this building, and they're willing to do what would be helpful for someone else to take this building," Fitzsimmons said. 

Next, the Lancaster City Council will vote on the next steps for this property and determine how and if it will be saved.

Download the FOX43 app here.

Before You Leave, Check This Out