Lukens Main Office Building - Coatesville, PA - Satellite Imagery Oddities on Waymarking.com

The office building is very well maintained and retains its excellent original integrity. It stands on the middle of its lot surrounded by grassy lawns on three sides and a paved parking lot to the rear. Four original brick piers and a pair of cast-iron gate allow access from the street and sidewalk to the main central entrance.

Pairs of tall brick chimneys rise from each end of the central core at the juncture of the side wings, and additional single brick chimneys rise from the ends of both wings. The 1902 construction date of this section is commemorated in datestones at the ends of both wings, as well as inscribed in the metal scupper boxes throughout.

The interior is a successful blend of the functional and the aesthetic. Although some of the lesser spaces now have dropped-ceilings, and some interior doors originally glass panelled-have been replaced with solid oak panelled doors, to a large degree the interior has retained most of its original plan configurations and Georgian architectural details.

The showplace of the interior is an impressive, finely-detailed lobby which occupies most of the first floor of the central core of the front section. Rising from the center of the lobby is a grand staircase consisting of a wide flight of stairs rising to a mid-level landing off of which flanking flights of stairs continue to the second floor. Both the lobby and staircase are detailed with well-crafted oak in a natural finish. SOURCE

There are a series of these markers scattered throughout this small historic district, especially in front of all the contributing structures, including this one. The markers are the standard interpretives, held horizontally, thick black, frame, tilted for good viewing and maybe 3 or 4 feet off the ground. This interpretive in located in the front of the building along South First Avenue, on the grass, next to a walkway, on the left side. This sign of history reads:

Addressing the needs of a growing business, a new office building was constructed on South First Avenue. Groundbreaking took place in 1902 and Lukens Main Office was completed in the fall of 1903. The building proved to be an aesthetic enhancement to the community as well as meeting the practical requirements of the time. Cope & Stewardson, the architects of Graystone Mansion, were retained for the project and once again demonstrated their combination of masterful skills and historical styling. They designed the building in elegant Georgian Revival, blending Flemish bond brick work with limestone trim, slate roofing and classical wooden cornice to create a building of handsome proportions, comfortable dignity, and lasting appeal. The original T-shaped building became an "H" when a addition by Stewardson & Page was placed on the west side in 1916. The highlight of the building's interior is its meticulously crafted lobby featuring a majestic grand staircase and natural-finish oak woodwork. The lobby was beautifully restored t its former appearance in 1988. Lukens Main Office has been in continuous use since its construction. This building was purchased from Bethlehem Steel Corporation by Huston Properties, Inc. in 2000, and is now known as the Lukens Executive Office Building.