Hager Building, Commercial building from National Register of Historic Places in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
The Hager Building is a commercial structure in downtown Lancaster that blends classical and French Renaissance design features. The ground floor contains large display windows while upper floors house office spaces, and the stone facade is adorned with decorative details.
The building was designed by architect C. Emlen Urban between 1910 and 1911 as Lancaster modernized its commercial district. This construction was part of a broader transformation that turned the city from a market town into a regional shopping center.
The building shows how Lancaster developed its shopping district in the early 20th century, reflecting the confidence of local merchants who wanted modern retail spaces. The facade with its large windows and carved stone reveals how important it was to display goods to passing customers.
The building sits in the heart of Lancaster and is easy to reach on foot, with active retail spaces on the ground floor and offices above. The large windows allow you to see the architecture from the street, making it a good stop during a walk through downtown.
Urban used a design system with balanced proportions and expansive windows that departed from the typically heavy commercial buildings of his time. This sense of lightness and openness was unusual for retail buildings of that era and made the structure stand out among local architects' work.
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