It's what can happen when the government actually helps, and not hurts a project.
The rotting old Stegmaier Building in Wilkes-Barre was falling apart when it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
The federal government threw a bunch of money at it. There was a renovation and expansion in the mid 1990's. The building on Wilkes-Barre Boulevard is now home to a bunch of federal offices.
The days of free flowing government money are gone, and often, government involvement can really muck up a project.
At least, the Stegmaier was able to be adapted for another use. The University of Scranton couldn't do that with its Leahy Hall, and it looks like that one will come down. The Hotel Sterling sat and rotted too long. It was too far gone to be saved, and government did not serve its citizens well on that project.
It's just nice to know there are a few wins out there among losses.
