Downtown – York, Pennsylvania

Isaac Kremer/ April 28, 2019/ downtown, placemaking, preservation, public art/ 0 comments

Old Town Historic District

Colonial Garden

The raised bed gardens are separated by pathways paved with shells. Near the center of the four quadrant garden, the corners are chamfered to create a central circulation space.

The Gear Garden & Foundry Park

Foundry Park sits on the site of the Eyster Weiser Co. foundary, established in 1904, whose buildings flanked Philadelphia Street. The main foundry was destroyed by fire in 1975. Brick structure that held other foundry functions are still on site, overlooking the park. When the park was built in 1981, it was called “Codorus Boat Basin & Foundary Plaza.” It was re-worked in 2007-08 as “Foundry Park,” with the Gear Garden as a gateway.

The Gear Garden is a collaborative public art installation conceived first in 2007 as a live garden by urban designer Bob Brown. A local design team led by sculptor Bob Machovec, with blacksmith Tom Moore and site planner Genevieve Ray, “morphed” the idea into the metal Gear Garden. Their inspiration came from sprockets, gears and other industrial artifacts donated by the W.S. Frey Co. and other York firms. The first handful of flowers was designed and fabricated by Machovec and Moore. All the rest were done solely by Machovec.

Since its inception the park has blended new uses with art, industry and local history. Features to look for include:

Old Court House

The Old Court House at York is where the French Alliance was ratified by the Continental Congress on May 4, 1778. When the Revolutionary War was at a low point and all hope seemed to be lost, the alliance brought hope to General Washington and the Continental Army then quartered at Valley Forge. The aid made possible American Independence culminating in the Treaty of Paris of 1783.

Golden Plough Tavern

A rare example of early Germanic, half-timber architecture, the building was constructed by Martin Eichelberger during the earliest days of Yorktown settlement, (c. 1741). It served as a tavern during colonial times and long thereafter.

Holy Hound Taproom

Custom Planters

History Wall

A single wall on Cherry Lane shows the outlines of roofs, chimneys, windows, and rafters which mark the structures that once stood on this site.

A. Unfinished brickwork indicates the shadow of a steep roofed log house built by a prosperous tavernkeeper before 1760.

B. Shortly after 1764, another inkeeper added a two story brick extension onto the rear. As part of the sales agreement, the former owner’s widow resided in a chamber above the first floor kitchen.

C. An 1820’s Federal style house with a typically broad chimney was erected on the adjoining lot by a tanner and county sheriff.

D. A three floor clothing store replaced the residence of a shopkeeper and local candy manufacturer in the late 19th century. The structure was removed in 1978 to extend Cherry Lane to Market St.

E. The existing three by, four story office building was constructed after the turn of the century by a prominent businessman.

Art Nouveau doors and windows with graceful curving lines.

Old Forge Brewing Company

Beaver St

General Wayne Headquarters

Building erected in Colonial Period was headquarters of General Anthony Wayne while his command was in York, Feb-May 1781, awaiting orders to join Lafayette in the Yorktown Campaign.

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About Isaac Kremer

Isaac is a nationally acclaimed downtown revitalization leader, speaker, and author. Districts Isaac managed have achieved over $1 billion of investment, more than 1,645 jobs created, and were 2X Great American Main Street Award Semifinalists and a 1X GAMSA winner in 2023. His work has been featured in Newsday, NJBIZ, ROI-NJ, Patch, TapInto, and USA Today. Isaac is a Main Street America Revitalization Professional (MSARP), with additional certifications from the International Economic Development Council, National Park Service, Project for Public Spaces, Grow America (formerly the National Development Council), and the Strategic Doing Institute. He currently serves as Executive Director for Experience Princeton in Princeton, New Jersey.

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