Rendering of a planned accessible entrance ramp and exterior repairs at the Lansdale Freight House. (Credit: Discover Lansdale)
Fundraising needed due to inflation of renovation costs
A local landmark is part of another push toward a long-planned restoration effort.
Local volunteers gave an update this week about ‘The Friends of the Freight House,’ a new fundraising campaign by volunteers looking to revive the century-old freight station on Broad Street in Lansdale.
“We are just about ready to start restoration of the borough’s long-abandoned hub of shipping and commerce into a Welcome Center for visitors to town, as well as a unique venue for events both civic and private,” said Discover Lansdale volunteer Bruce Schwartz.
“Thanks to several grants from state and historic agencies, as well as some generous community donations, we are well on our way to reaching our goals. But they do not get us all the way,” he said.
The station was built in the early 1900s as the main import and export hub for local businesses, and opened in 1902 just before the nearby passenger station, and was used to process heavy goods from numerous local businesses until it fell into disrepair and closed in the 1970s.
In the late 1990s the Lansdale Historical Society started talks on buying the station and surrounding property, and in 2016 the town’s parking authority purchased the property, with borough nonprofit Discover Lansdale buying the building and hosting several public open houses and volunteer cleanup days since, to promote the idea of renovating the station into a museum or visitor center.
Minor fixes were done to the station exterior in 2021, and in summer 2022 borough staff announced that the parking authority had budgeted roughly $1.3 million for paving the lot surrounding the station, and adding a new driveway connection to the ‘Lansdale Luxor’ apartment building just south of the station. That lot was paved in 2023, and new “Lansdale Freight House” décor at the station was displayed by Discover volunteers during the town’s Founders Day festivities in August, as residents have asked for any updates on the project.
Discover Lansdale volunteer Bruce Schwartz, right, points to removed flooring and windows in need of repair inside the Lansdale Freight House on Founders Day, Aug. 24, 2024.In a Facebook post and a mass email to followers on Monday, local nonprofit Discover Lansdale shared the latest: just over $1 million has been secured through grants from Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission, the state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, according to Schwartz, but the price tag for the project has grown.
“But bids came back for about $1.6 million to make the necessary upgrades and repairs to open the Freight House for operation, and an additional $600,000 to complete the period-appropriate renovations to the entire building,” said Schwartz.
“Thus we are reaching out to the community to help us bridge the gap, with this Friends of the Freight House fundraising campaign,” he said.
Needed work will include installing electric, water and heat services, rebuilding the floor, restoring doors and windows, adding an accessible restroom, recreating an original office space, repairing stonework, and creating an event venue out of the station’s shipping area, and a courtyard outdoors near the adjacent Liberty Bell Trail.
Rendering showing a new office and restroom area, new lighting, and repaired windows and floors inside the Lansdale Freight House. (Credit: Discover Lansdale)A set of renderings posted on a new “Lansdale Freight House” website show specifics: the bulk of the station would be open space, with the doors facing Vine Street able to be opened and providing a view of Borough Hall just across Broad, and the front corner nearest Broad would include an enclosed office and restroom. The entrance on that side would see a ramp built alongside a widened version of the stairs that stand there now, with a covered portico reading “Lansdale Freight House” between the entrance to the building and a newly installed bike repair station with racks reading “Lansdale Freight House: Est. 1902.”
“We’re thrilled to report that plans have been completed and contracts are being signed at this moment. We are just about ready to start restoration of the Borough’s long-abandoned hub of shipping and commerce into a Welcome Center for visitors to town, as well as a unique venue for events both civic and private,” said Schwartz.
How can you help? Volunteers have already cleared rotted flooring and helped stabilize the stone wall and door sills, and online donations can be made via the new website, where those interested can also sign up for updates from the group. The Facebook page also shares historic photos of the station over the years, and will include updates on any new developments
“As is true of everything we do, nothing is possible without the strong support of our friends and neighbors in the North Penn community,” Schwartz said.
For more information visit lansdalefreighthouse.org, or follow “Discover Lansdale Freight House” on Facebook or @Discover_lansdale on Instagram.
This article appears courtesy of a content share agreement between North Penn Now and The Reporter. To read more stories like this, visit https://www.thereporteronline.com
