"In 1975, a group of downtown businessmen organized the Downtown Design Review Committee which was to plan a downtown Williamsport mall. Laurence A. Alexander & Company was engaged to do a study of the downtown and to make proposals for improvements which would make the downtown more competitive with the shopping malls. A proposal was accepted to close Pine Street to traffic from Fourth Street to Church Street and to construct an outdoor mall in this area.
The Williamsport Redevelopment Authority acted as the city's agent in the project. On June 18, 1976, construction of the mall began. The sidewalks and street were replaced by bricks and trees were planted. An outdoor cafe, children's play area, and benches were placed in the mall.
Improvements were not limited to the mall area. Over the entire downtown area, 315 trees were planted, potted plants were set along the sidewalk, and bicycle racks were installed. The Center-City Mall was officially dedicated on November 15, 1976. Critics of the mall had complained that the loss of parking spaces on Pine Street would further restrict parking. Though there were 260 parking spaces lost when the mall was constructed, there were still about 2,000 parking spaces in the downtown area. However, the walking distance from some of the parking areas to the downtown continued to be a problem.
The cost of the improvements to the downtown was $1,690,000 and was shared by downtown property owners, the Williamsport Redevelopment Authority, the Williamsport Foundation, and Lycoming County. The entire cost of improvements to the mall were paid by the downtown property owners. No capital was raised through city taxes.
A year earlier on September 1, 1975, Mayor John Coder began planting pine trees along Pine Street for a controversial 90-day trial mall he named the Pine Park Mall. He stated that his proposed mall was much less expensive and would not remove the valuable on-street parking on Pine Street.
He stressed the urgency of opening a mall downtown before the Lycoming Mall opened. Williamsport City Council held an emergency meeting the afternoon of September 1, and won a temporary injunction to halt the work on the mall. Mayor Coder was later ordered by Williamsport City Council to remove the trees and to restore the street and sidewalk.
Over the last four decades, downtown Williamsport has shifted westward. Market Square, once a thriving shopping center, lost its strength to the Pine Street area. One of the largest Market Square businesses was the Growers' Market which closed in 1974 after four decades at the same site.
When the lease to the building was lost, venders were scattered about the county and many closed their businesses.
In the mid-1950 's as many as 200 farmers sold their produce at the Growers' Market.
The large building was filled with smells of locally produced fruits and vegetables as well as farm-fresh eggs and meats.
In the last ten years, the mall area has changed as some older stores closed and others came to fill the vacancies.
Prior and Sallada Company, Inc . , located on West Fourth Street, closed in 1977. It was established in 1896 by W. R. Prior and Wilbur Sallada.
Sears, Roebuck, and Company, which opened in downtown Williamsport in 1928, moved to the Lycoming Mall in 1978 after fifty years in downtown Williamsport.
In 1974, Carroll House, closed leaving a large vacant building on the corner of Pine and Third streets. The large department store, which had opened in 1929, operated under the name of Lycoming Dry Goods Company until 1947. The building was bought by Fidelity Bank and Trust Company in 1974.
In 1971, W. T. Grant Company moved from its West Fourth Street location to Loyal Plaza after forty-one years downtown. The entire chain went bankrupt in 1975.
Several established stores have continued to operate in downtown Williamsport. L. L. Stearns and Sons was established by Laten Legg Stearns in 1850 in Jersey Shore. In 1865 he shipped his merchandise downriver by raft to Williamsport where railroad connections made Williamsport a more important trading center.
L. L. Stearns and Sons was located at Market Square until 1888 when it moved to the corner of Third and Pine streets, eventually expanding to an adjoining building over four floors. L. L. Stearns and Sons is the oldest family owned, family operated department store in the United States.
D. S. Andrus and Company was founded in 1860 by D. S. Andrus, whose partner in the late 1860's was William R. Vanderbelt. Andrus was a prominent Williamsport citizen following the Civil War.
A. B. Neyhart and Emmanuel E. Andrews, Sr. established Neyhart's, Inc. in 1870. Soon after it opened, the store expanded to an adjoining building where it has remained since its opening.
The Otto Book Store was established in Market Square in 1877 by Alexander M. Dean. The store was named for H. Y. Otto, a partner. It later moved to West Fourth Street.
Harder Sporting Goods Company was established in 1883 by George H. Harder, a maker of custom-made guns. Soon after opening, the store began to sell fishing equipment and other sporting goods. In 1903, the store moved from West Fourth Street to Pine Street.
Attracted by the established businesses, at least a dozen stores opened or relocated in the mall area the year before it opened. Many establishments renovated their buildings and made improvements. L. L. Stearns and Sons and Fidelity National Bank of Pennsylvania, which had moved into the Carroll House building, made renovations and refaced the buildings they occupied. Many other center-city buildings had been cleaned or painted to give the downtown a fresher, newer appearance."
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I loved this article. I'm 76 yrs old and was born and raised in so. wmpt. I have so many memories of all of these businesses. The market house was my favorite places to go. Our girl scout troup had our bake sales in the market house once a year. thank you for bringing back the memories.
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