Why does it seem we always throw away the past in this country--except the really bad stuff?

https://www.timesleader.com/news/707270 ... barre-site

Unfortunately, anyone who knows how things work in Wilkes-Barre should not be surprised. Not much else to say. Whenever I hear someone complain about Scranton, I ask if they know anything about Wilkes-Barre. ;-)

This station building is no more "threatened" than it has been for at least twenty years. The squabbles between owners, developers, tenants, and the city/county have been ongoing all that time, enriching only the lawyers, but there's nothing in this current story suggesting potential demolition of the depot itself.

Obvious you don't know anything about the politics of this area. Here today gone tomorrow. POOF just like all the antique equipment that surrounded this site. Please if your not familiar with NEPA politics leave the commenting to the locals who are. Thank you.
Mike Tillger

The adjacent CNJ and LV facilities were flooded by Hurricane Agnes in 1972.

Later in the 1970's the site was developed as a motel and night club with retired RDG MU cars as the motel (2 rooms to a car). There were a couple of office cars as well. At first it was the go-to place but it deteriorated and eventually (and after many stories in the Times-Leader) everything but the CNJ station went away, some to become razor blades.

So here we are again, still generating column inches in the Times-Leader.

Phil Mulligan

For the record, I grew up in central Pennsylvania watching WNEP, WBRE, and WDAU (now WYOU) news and also WVIA. I have more than a passing familiarity with Northeastern Pa. politics.

I also watched The Station motel and nightclub spring up, close, and spent years (I want to say decades, but I'd have to cross-check dates) watching the whole thing deteriorate and collapse. That was in no way a "here today gone tomorrow" situation; the condemned languished on death row for ages, and even the preservationists seemed sick of the controversy by the time the scrappers finally showed up.

But let me ask you to clarify one thing: Are you alleging that the station building itself is in jeopardy of demolition? Because as much mud as was being thrown in the cited article by the principal actors, I saw no allegation or postulation that the station itself was in jeopardy.

Yes, we're seeing station owners demolish stations wantonly without care for local preservation efforts. But this isn't on CSX, now, is it?

If you sincerely think the station is in jeopardy, you should be rallying preservationists to the cause and arousing public interest in its salvation. Because, based on past squabbles over such properties I have witnessed with other RR properties in the past, an increasingly apathetic public in the area might willingly accept demolition as the price to be paid just to get rid of all the controversy, stalling, media hype, and bother.

The problem with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area is that we have too much to save. The structures and artifacts that can find a new use usually do, while those that fail to find a sponsor are lost to time. It hurts to say it but you can't possibly save it all.

Update:

https://www.pahomepage.com/news/former- ... ts-museum/