The former First Presbyterian Church on Broad Street will be the future home of the Greater Pittston Historical Society as well as housing.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
The former Pittston Hospital and the two other structures on the 13-acre property have been purchased by Pittston City’s Redevelopment Authority.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
The former Pittston Hospital Nursing School is slated for future housing.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
The parking lot of the former Pittston Hospital has been eyed for a future condo project.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
PITTSTON –Mayor Michael Lombardo announced the city’s Redevelopment Authority has purchased the former Pittston Hospital with future plans for housing at the property.
In addition to the 13-acre hospital property acquisition, the City purchased the former First Presbyterian Church on Broad Street. The former church will be the future home to the Greater Pittston Historical Society as well as other uses.
The former hospital, built in 1914, closed in 1981 and since had been home to several businesses.
Mayor Lombardo said he could foresee multiple families housing at the site of the former parking lot, which is adjacent to Johnson St.
“The easiest part of the project are townhouse at the site of the parking lot,” Lombardo said. “I’d also do housing at the former nursing school and housing at the old physical plant. I can even see a restaurant at the top floor of the former hospital.”
The main part of the hospital is four stories above and a basement. The property sits on two municipalities, Pittston City and Jenkins Twp.
The second property acquisition is the First Presbyterian Church on Broad St.
Lombardo said he plans on maintaining the physical look of the building keeping the steeple.
“The reason we have the church is, there’s no way the steeple is coming down,” Lombardo said about maintaining the Pittston skyline. “We can’t afford to lose anymore iconic buildings and skyline.”
Lombardo said the Greater Pittston Historical Society, now being house in the basement of the Pittston Memorial Library is slated to move into the First Presbyterian church.
Apartments will also be worked into the church project.
“My first objective is to stabilize all of the buildings so we can start work on them,” Lombardo said. “We want to make each one of them structural safe, water tight, and free from animals.”
Mayor Lombardo said progress on the Fort Pittston School project as resumed recently when all of the ivy and their roots were removed from outside surface of the school.
Fort Pittston, according to Lombardo, qualifies to be recorded on the National Historic Register. The building is earmarked for housing.
“People like, not only the city they live in, but their community,” Lombardo said. “All three projects have elements with higher end housing.”
The Mayor also stated streetscaping on Main St. in the Junction section of Pittston has been held up by paperwork but insists the project will go out for bid in October.
“It’s not a complicated project, the hardest part of that project is the technical part and we’re doing it right now,” Lombardo said. “We will do some initial layout work for the project this fall and start hot and heavy into the spring.”
In other Pittston news, the Mayor Lombardo has created a bridge task force regarding both the Spc. Dale Kridlo Memorial Bridge and the currently closed Firefighters’ Memorial Bridge with representatives from Pittston and West Pittston.
“I’m making sure we’re in that fight and not bystanders, both us (Pittston) and West Pittston,” Lombardo said. “We need interest in represent both communities and I assure you, I am prepared to fight as much as I need to fight for both of our communities that what is decided in the end makes sense for us.”
Lombardo said both Pittston and West Pittston have worked hard on building streetscapes and setting the groundwork for commerce.
“The impact on bridge decisions are significant and the whole issue and I’m not sitting on the sideline,” Lombardo added.
