D&D Realty buys S. Main St. building from Wilkes U.

WILKES-BARRE — From grave to cradle, almost literally: On Wednesday Wilkes University announced the plans for a building that, when first opened in 1914, held a furniture store and a coffin manufacturer.

The newest tenant at 116 South Main St. will be South Main Street Early Learning Academy on the first floor, run by Building Blocks Learning Center. It will be the company’s 13th location in the region, and is expected to accommodate about 120 children from six weeks old to pre-kindergarten.

“For many years, we have contemplated campus-based childcare for those in our community who are parents or caregivers,” Wilkes President Greg Cant said in a campus email. Building Blocks will open the center with D&D Realty Group as the owner. D&D is investing more than $5 million in renovating the building that Wilkes bought in 2016, and according to a media release D&D has taken ownership in a sales agreement with Wilkes.

“Under this new agreement with D&D, Building Blocks Learning Center will provide affordable, convenient and quality care to our employees and students, making a Wilkes education even more attainable,” Cant said in his email.

Wilkes plans to partner with the South Main Street Early Learning Academy to offer discounted child care to university students, faculty and staff, and to provide hands-on learning opportunities at the new academy for Wilkes students in relevant majors such as education.

In the media release, Wilkes also says Building Blocks Learning Center and their teachers will benefit from “Wilkes degrees and professional development programs, particular the TEACH program designed to be “a fully online and affordable pathway to a bachelor’s degree for those working in early childhood or day care centers.”

“This facility will serve as a comprehensive childcare center, providing programs from infants to a Department of Education licensed prekindergarten program,” Building Blocks President/Chief Operating Officer Subeen Saeed said in the release. ” We take pride in being a leading provider that fosters children’s academic, social and emotional development. Our dedicated educators ignite a passion for learning in all our students, and we are thrilled to continue this endeavor through this exceptional partnership.”

Wilkes used the building primarily for storage while deciding what to do with it, and when the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020 it delayed any options. In November of last year Cant stood outside the building in a narrow side street known as Grant Alley, which Wilkes also owns, to announce D&D would lease the second, third and fourth floors, developing them into high-end apartments.

At the time of that announcement, Diamond City Partnership Executive Director Larry Newman called that an ideal use of the building as the city has seen a surge of people moving into the downtown area. He appears to have been right in predicting demand; Wednesday’s release said nearly half the apartments have already been leased, even though work is still underway.

The University considered using the first floor for a variety of campus services, but Wednesday’s media release noted “unanticipated building repairs and subsequent construction costs made the sale of the building most beneficial to the project.”

“We have been highly focused on carefully managing our fiscal resources,” Cant said in the release. “As much as we would like to fulfill our vision for this property, we will not do so in a way that poses a financial burden to the University. Selling the building allows us to relieve the university of those costs while achieving our goal for South Main Street.”

Wilkes is retaining ownership of Grant Alley and following through on plans to turn it primarily into a pedestrian area. New curbs, walkways, lighting and other streeetscaping are underway and should be completed in September.