York County History Center's new home will re-energize the city's first power station

Paul Kuehnel, York Daily Record
·2 min read

The new York County History Center is starting to take shape inside York’s first electrical generating station, with a groundbreaking ceremony planned for Monday, Aug. 22.

Construction began on the $28 million project in January. With demolition and site preparation work on the old steam plant well underway, the project is about 20 percent complete, according to George Wilk, project superintendent for Lewis Contractors.

The new headquarters and museum are expected to be completed by spring of 2024, said Dan Fink, vice president of Marketing and Public Relations for the center.

Work is underway at the new site of the York County History Center. An open area between the former generating complex and the warehouse building at the intersection of West Philadelphia Street and North Pershing Avenue in York will become a glass and steel structure that will connect the complex.
Work is underway at the new site of the York County History Center. An open area between the former generating complex and the warehouse building at the intersection of West Philadelphia Street and North Pershing Avenue in York will become a glass and steel structure that will connect the complex.

The brick complex of buildings that blend into the city streetscape at the corner of West Philadelphia Street and North Pershing Avenue began life as York’s first electrical power generation station in 1885. The foundation of that building was incorporated into a late-19th century brick structure, which is now connected to several other larger additions that added generating capacity with building expansions until 1916, according to York County History Center documentation.

Learn more:About the history of the generating plant starting in 1885

This is a view of what will become the new York County History Center complex, taken on Aug. 16, 2022. The earliest structure with the peaked roof, which was built in 1895, is at far left. The square structure in the center that served as a boiler room with the smokestack visible was built from 1911-1916. The former warehouse building built in 1917 is at right. The space between the buildings will be infilled with a steel and glass connecting structure

A two-story warehouse facing West Philadelphia, built for the Edison power plant in 1917, will be connected to the former power generating complex with a two-story glass and steel infill structure, designed to connect the complex but not detract from the existing architecture.

The plant powered: Edison Lights Streets as York becomes a city in 1887

The center's main exhibit area will be blended into the large expanses of the former boiler room with exposed steel, brick and the base of a smokestack visible from within the building. A mezzanine will be built into the sprawling, tall area. The space will be “visually impactful and incorporate many more artifacts," compared to the space available in the current building on East Market Street, said Joan Mummert, president and CEO of the center.

More light:Collector of light bulbs and generating equipment lights 1880's bulb

This area will become the main exhibit space for the York County History Center.
This area will become the main exhibit space for the York County History Center.

The new history center complex project pays tribute and preserves the birthplace and expansion of commercial generation of electricity and steam for heating in York County during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

I have captured life through the lens since 1983, and am currently a visual journalist with the USAToday Network. You can reach me at pkuehnel@ydr.com.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: York County History Center construction underway at power station site