City of Pittston Mayor Michael Lombardo holds in his hand the 3D model of the new Market and Main Tower with six to eight stories. At the rear of the tower will be the New American Theatre with approximately 500 seats.
Philadelphia firm will oversee design of $40M Main & Market/New American Theatre
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A profile view of the New Amerian Theatre and Market & Main six- to eight-story building shows the theatre at the rear of the building.
Submitted photo
A dentist’s office will be demolished to make way for some of the proposed project.
The site at the former Quinn’s Supermarket will be razed and replaced with a minimum three-story parkade and commercial space.
The Greater Pittston Ambulance headquarters will be razed and made room for commerical and living space building.
City of Pittston Mayor Michael Lombardo is shown next to a rendering by OOMBRA Architects, a Philadelphia-based architectural firm, depicting the front of the Market & Main Streets building that would house the New American Theatre that will seat approximately 500 people. The six to eight floor structure will also house retail space and living space.
The 3D model of what the cityscape will look like at the completion of Market & Main tower and a parkade for downtown Pittston.
PITTSTON – When the American Theatre was demolished in 1993, then citizen Michael Lombardo was upset about demolition of the landmark that made Pittston a focal point of the region be a faded memory, so he ran for mayor on the promise to never allow another important building of the past to be razed.
Winning the mayor’s seat in Nov. 1997, Lombardo took over the reigns in Jan. 1998 and dug in on what he called a 10-year plan as a part of the city’s revitalization.
The American Theatre, which was erected in 1924 was the home to vaudeville shows, big band music, concerts and, of course, movies. It was a staple in the community and the center of entertainment, not only at Pittston, but surrounding communities for decades.
The theatre was eventually demolished in the early 1980s. Lombardo always envisioned a theatre being built downtown and that dream came closer to reality when the city chose an architect for the project.
OOMBRA Architects, a Philadelphia-based firm, has been selected to over see the project at the corner of Market & Main Streets. The price tag for the venture involving several buildings and properties could reach over $40 million.
Monday’s press conference was set at 99 Main St. where a six- to eight-story building will be constructed containing retail, housing and the New American Theatre – an approximately 500- to 600-seat theatre.
The project also involves the demolition of the current Greater Pittston Ambulance headquarters and the former Quinn’s Supermarket. The new ambulance headquarters will located at the former site of the Triangle Motel on South Main Street.
The current ambulance site has been designated for housing and the former supermarket site will have a minimum three-story parkade with additional commercial space at ground level.
The first phase of the project will be the theatre/tower building, and Lombardo said he was confident all the funding will eventually be in place to start the project.
“We are looking at some technology, we’re looking at some green initiatives with a green roof at the back of the building, we are looking at solar panels down at the parkade,” Lombardo said, when highlighting features of the project. “Our timeline is, we’re in design now, we are hoping we can work our way through next year in design and it’s our hope that in early to late next year (2024) or early in 2025 we will have shovels in the ground and begin this project.”
According to Joseph Chacke, City of Pittston Redevelopment Authority director, $8.5 million has been raised to date through various funding including HUD Community Project Funding, PA Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program and the Local Share Account (LSA) under the Gaming Act.
Seven million dollars of the money is designated for the Market & Main/American Theatre building and another $1.5 million for the former supermarket project.
The building at 97 South Main currently occupied by dentist Dr. Cal Alfano will be razed at some time in the early spring, 2024 to make room for the Market & Main tower. Dr. Alfano will be retiring at the end of 2023.
“I’d like to acknowledge Dr. Alfano,” Lombardo said. “Certainly he’s been a partner in this and we are very much respectful of Cal’s commitment to downtown and he’s been here for a very long time.”
A sales agreement has been made and signed for the former supermarket building by the Redevelopment Authority and should close on the building in early 2024, Chacke said.
The mayor said he anticipates the first phase of the project to be completed by some time in 2027.