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The Casey Garage Project
This artist rendering of the new garage show just how close parking will be to our restaurant! The latest photos are on top or you can scroll down and watch the project unfold!
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11 January 2006
Center Street is open and only in need of blactop.
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14 November 2005
OPENING DAY
A driver pays the attendant on the first day of business at the garage!
The garage opened for business on November 14th. Below is a close-up of the posted rates.
The elevator next to Scranton Hobby and us is just about done.
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9 November 2005
OPEN!
A historic day on the north side of the 500 block of Lackawanna Avenue. A real sidewalk to walk on! Workers remove the last pieces of the fence and opened the sidewalk to foot traffic today. In the seventeen years we have been at this location, only about three and a half of them was the sidewalk open. Remember the crumbling Hotel Casey and adjoining buildings? How about the demolition of the Hotel and adjoining buildings! How about using the hole left by the Hotel for a staging area for the new Hilton! Now, with the opening of the Garage scheduled for tomorrow a year and a half without a sidewalk is over. I plan to walk the walk and take photos on the way tomorrow.
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3 November 2005
Sidewalks are dry and construction debris is being removed and already, the No Parking signs are up. So it looks like no on street parking in front of our restaurant again!
The cornerstone and sidewalks are finished. The pyramid shaped opening is where the entrance to Molly Brannigan's Pub will be.
The entrance on Adams Avenue is only lacking its end ramp concrete, which is where workers are putting down the rebar. This is a in/out ramp and the toll booth and drop gate are in place. Monday is the scheduled opening of the garage. The Adams Avenue elevator is finished. The Lackawanna Ave elevator will be completed in a few weeks.
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1 November 2005
All of the protective railings are in except the top floor. All the windows in the elevator/stairwell column are finished as well.
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31 October 2005
All the sections of sidewalk have been poured on Lackawanna Avenue.
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27 October 2005
Glaziers install frames on the windows of the elevator shaft and stairwell.
A good sign! Sidewalks. The round tube is for the period light fixtures like the one in front of our restaurant.
Here's a view of the garage for the roof of the Mall at Steamtown garage.
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19 October 2005
Safety fencing going up and scaffolding is gone down, back in Center St.
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18 October 2005
The last corner is done. The brick is being pressure washed and the scaffolding is coming down!
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6 October 2005
Lights will shine down on Center Street. A sidewalk will be installed on the garage side of Center Street.
HVAC Systems are being put together.
The last corner of bricks is being laid back in Center Street.
The elevator ride will have a view thanks to the newly installed windows!
Brickwork nears completion on Adams Avenue.
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29 September 2005
Window frames are installed on the corner of Adams Avenue and Center Street.
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24 September 2005
I climbed 139 steps to the top floor of the garage. This will become my new cardio workout. That tops the Laundry building by 33. That's the roof of the Hilton in the background. I recommend a ride up top once the garage is open. The view is worth the price of admittance
This shot is of the very top floor. That's the Laundry Building in the background.
The frame is in for the doorway to the stairs and elevator.
Here's the view you get while waiting for the elevator on the top floor!
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20 September 2005
Blocks are going up quick on the Center Street corner.
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16 September 2005
Block and brick are loaded on the scaffold for the assault on the final corner of the garage!
This is the walkway between Scranton Hobby and the garage. The scaffold is in the background on Center Street.
The handrails have been welded in place.
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15 September 2005
The scaffold has been brought back to Center Street for the final corner.
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13 September 2005
Pressure washing the brick means the end of construction is near. On the flat bed is the remains of the final floor scaffold supports. They are coming down from the top floor by use of a crane.
Looks pretty good after a pressure wash!
Fireproofing is done on the first floor steel, brick and glass to follow.
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7 September 2005
The corner of Lackawanna and Adams is now carved into the white stones.
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1 September 2005
Construction trailers are gone and offices are now inside the Garage. I've been told when the garage is done, cobblestones will be laid out on Center Street.
Brickwork continues on Center Street.
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29 August 2005
Action on Center Street looking toward Adam's Avenue. It's hard to see in this shot, but workers are pressure washing dust and errant mortar off the brick facade on the Adam's Ave elevator tower.
Corner work looking out towards Lackawanna Ave.
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17 August 2005
Block and brick near the top on Lackawanna Avenue.
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16 August 2005
Dust rises from stone cutters on Lackawanna Avenue.
Block and brick continue to rise on Adams Avenue and Center Street,
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9 August 2005
Here's a shot on the ground floor where office space will be built.
Service areas are getting doors and brick work is going up on the columns. Center Street towards Washington Avenue.
Detail of the brick work on Center Street.
The foundation is backfilled on the Center Street side.
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28 July 2005
I hoofed it up to the top of the Laundry Building for a look and here's what I saw!
That's the elevator shaft and stair well on Lackawanna Avenue.
Center Street towards the Hilton Hotel.
Two more to go.
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25 July 2005
It was announced today that Molly Brannigans will be the restaurant tenant at the garage. We welcome them to the neighborhood! I checked out their menu and they don't sell wieners, so no conflict! They should open some time in November.
The color section of the first floor will be the new restaurants home. This is the Lackawanna Avenue side. Boy, can you picture our block during the St. Patrick Day Parade!
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21 July 2005
This is the latest shot down Center Street. The finished wall sections are service areas for the garage.
A lot of brick work has been completed in the last 10 days.
Here's a look at the Adams Avenue elevator shaft.
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11 July 2005
I'm going to have to get a longer bracket on our Coney Island sign!
Bricks are up next.
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7 July 2005
A lot of block has been put up. Scroll down to May 24th to see what I mean.
Lackawanna Avenue side towards Washington Avenue.
Blocks are going up on the Adams Avenue side, too.
This shot is looking down Center Street towards Washington Avenue.
Interior walls are on the rise. This shot is from Center Street, looking towards the ramp and Lackawanna Avenue.
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29 June 2005
Looking under the scaffold towards Adams Avenue.
The first corner is laid.
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25 June 2005
Under the scaffold everything is ready for Monday. I'm told 75 bricklayers are coming. I hope some of them like texas wieners!
My first look at the 2nd floor.
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21 June 2005
Scaffold assembly continues.
More stuff arrives. This is a typical day on the 500 of Lackawanna Ave. There is a concrete pump near the middle of the garage and a crane on the end of the block!
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20 June 2005
The hydraulic scaffold has arrived!
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17 June 2005
The sidewalk was poured in-between Scranton Hobby and the garage.
Block for the elevator are going up!
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8 June 2005
Block, insulation and stone. The first corner is installed. This is the elevator and stair entrance on our side.
In between making wieners, I step out for this shot of workers lifting one of the stone slabs being installed on the outside of the garage. This view also shows the setback we will have when the garage is finished.
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6 June 2005
The masons have arrived!
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24 May 2005
Here is a shot our building.
Progress is on the rise as the garage ramp begins the forth floor.
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11 May 2005
In these two views you can see that the scaffolding has been removed from the first floor. It wont be long before the masons arrive and begin laying brick.
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5 May 2005
Forms from the third floor are now on the forth floor. Scaffolding will be next.
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4 May 2005
The concrete has set on the third floor and workers begin to remove the forms.
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25 April 2005
This shot taken on Adams Avenue show a loader lifting scaffolding for the next level ramp. On the far right is the excavator tearing down the old Casey Garage. I am starting a page for that project, too.
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11 April 2005
This is the last shot taken with my old Olympus camera. My new camera has a 12x telephoto lens. That will help show what you can't see here. They were still pumping cement a little above dead center in this photo.
This angle shows the fresh concrete and a worker rolling out the plastic cover.
Plastic covers finished sections of the ramp.
Pump truck takes on another load as cement is pumped onto the ramp.
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16 March 2005
The scaffolding continues around the entire first floor to form the actual parking area of the garage.
Scaffolding is now being erected to support the forms to create the ramp.
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14 March 2005
A crane is brought in to lift the last few stair cases into place.
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10 March 2005
Stairs for both elevators are at the sixth floor. This is a shot of the Lackawanna Avenue elevator shaft. There is another one at the corner of Adams Avenue and Center Street.
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22 February 2005
Welders put the finishing touches on a joint. Steps for the elevator shaft are beginning to take shape.
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15 February 2005
Most of the snow has melted, so I took a walk up to the top of the Laundry building and took these shots.
This shot is looking down Center Street towards the Hilton hotel and Adams Avenue.
By the markings on the joints, most of the bolting and welding is complete. Bracing is now underway.
When the garage is finished, I will command some great views from its rooftop!
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31 January 2005
Slowly, the snow is receding.
A little tight, but the high lift bucket makes it easy to bolt and weld.
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23 January 2005
A foot of snow yesterday slows things down on the site.
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10 January 2005
This picture was taken on the day the final steel beam was laid.
The crane was taken down on the 11th. Now steelworkers, using hi-lift buckets, are moving about the structure bolting and welding all the joints.
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31 December 2004
The sidewalk dividing the garage from the Raider Insurance Building has received its decking and awaits concrete. It will connect Lackawanna Avenue to Center Street and the courthouse area.
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28 December 2004
New beams have been unloaded. The garage is now two sections shot of reaching Adams Avenue.
The garage is starting to show dept now. The rust on the first floor beams is normal. Those beams will be enclosed in the buildings facade. The gray beams have been treated and painted and will be exposed to the elements.
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21 December 2004
We are starting to see shadows on Center Street again. Not since 2001, the year the Hotel Casey was demolished, has there been shadows back there.
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17 December 2004
This view of the garage building shows it's size as compared to our building. Note that is extends out farther than our building, too.
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16 December 2004
At the end of the day, seven floors are up on this end.
Nine o-clock and the steel is really going up.
The Center Street side is the staging area for the steel beams. That's the Hilton Hotel in the background.
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13 December 2004
A couple hours at work and the steel is flying. you can see the length of some of the main beams sitting on the ramp.
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10 December 2004
At the end of the first days work, all the columns are up on the western side of the garage.
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9 December 2004
This afternoon the crane arrived and was assembled.
Backfill is completed on the Center Street side of the garage,
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3 December 2004
That's steel beams on the flatbed near the Quandel trailer. The crane should be here soon.
Backfilling continues on the ramp and surrounding areas.
Here's a shot looking up Center Street. Backfilling here should begin soon.
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22 November 2004
Storm water drain pipes get covered on the Lackawanna Avenue side of the garage.
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19 November 2004
The excavator lifts a small remote control grading vibrator down to prepare a bed for the storm water drain pipes.
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12 November 2004
A cement pump is brought in to get the concrete into the ramp foundation.
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10 November 2004
In this photo you can see workers setting up foundation walls for the curved ramp that will take cars to the upper floors of the garage.
Backfilling is now out to the corner of Lackawanna and Adams Avenues.
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2 November 2004
This shot shows the dept of the backfill. When its complete, the finish cement floor will be poured.
The excavator brings fill into this section on the CenterStreet side.
The blue panels applied to the foundation walls are a ridged foam insulator.
This overhead shot show the backfilling process looking towards Lackawanna and Adams Avenues.
With all the foundation wall up back filling is scheduled to begin. This shot shows the corner column post of the building at Lackawanna and Adams.
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13 October 2004
Foundation work has been underway for a couple weeks now. A gravel ramp was laid down and work is concentrating on the foundation walls.
Workers remove forms on finished section of the foundation wall.
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21 September 2004
Curing continues with a constant coat of water to prevent uneven drying and reduced heat in the concrete.
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19 September 2004
'The Big Pour' Part 2
The pour was completed ahead of schedule. Crews begin clean-up. Note the Bobcat with the sweeper in the upper right.
Workers keep the cement wet with fire hoses.
The last pump fills in the far corner.
The cement is drying already.
I got here around 11 AM and they were just about done. The rebar standing above the cement is for interior walls.
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18 September 2004
'The Big Pour' Part 1
Like the arms of spiders the pumps go to work.
Back in the ally, it's a tight fit. At the beginning they will pump from three sides.
Some workers wear vibrating back packs. The stand on the rebar to help settle the concrete into place.
The pumps are fired up, so I'm heading up to the roof of the Laundry Building for some shots!
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15 September 2004
All the rebar work is done. Now the site awaits the concrete, weather permitting the big pour is scheduled for Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th of September.
Another view. Where the two by fours are will be walls.
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1 September 2004
Steelworkers continue on the last corner of the foundation.
This artists view is a new angle showing the Adams Avenue side of the New Garage.
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26 August 2004
Today the crane was taken apart and should be gone by tomorrow. Meanwhile, the steelworkers can be seen in the pictures center, hard at work.
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25 August 2004
With the jib removed the crane boom can be laid down and disassembled.
From above you can see the cranes position in Center Street. That's the tip of the jib, which is now removed, on the left.
It's a tight squeeze but it's in there. This crane in in position between our garage and the Laundry Building on Center Street. It's here to begin to disassemble the crane in the background. First, they will remove the crane's jib. That's the last section where the flag is attached.
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24 August 2004
I climbed up the 109 steps to the roof of the Laundry Building for a birds eye view today. Here's what I saw:
Concrete has been poured into the base of the elevator shaft, which is the boxed-in area in front of the trailer. Once the steelwork is done, long arm concrete pumps will set up shop.
A lots been done in four working days!
Steel is stacked on the ramp awaiting placement.
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23 August 2004
This shot , taken at the corner of Center Street and Adams Avenue, gives a good look at the thickness of the foundation by looking at the height of the steelworkers in the center of the shot!
I don't think this foundation will ever develop a crack. There is a lot of steel here.
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19 August 2004
Here's a street level shot showing the dept of the rebar.
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18 August 2004
Our flag flies high atop this massive crane on the site in this shot facing south.
Behind the crane are stacks of rebar. They look like sticks from up here, but the crane has its work cut out trying to pick them up. In this shot you can see the steep ramp on the upper left hand corner. That's how they get in and out. When the rebar is complete concrete pumps will begin it's work and run around the clock, till the 3,600 yards is poured.
This is a straight down shot over Center Street.
On this end the rebar is 42 inches thick. It's hard to tell at this angle, taken atop the Laundry Building, but take my word for it. The boxed in area near the construction trailer is the base of the elevator shaft.
The slab is complete and a large crane was brought it to help lay the massive amount of rebar needed to create a 'floating' foundation.
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22 July 2004
The lot is fully graded and cement is arriving daily. They are laying a slab of concrete to protect the foundation from mud coming back up through the crushed stone. Atop this slab, 42 inches of rebar will support the 'floating' foundation.
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14 July 2004
Along with construction of the new garage, work has started on our new sidewalks and street lighting!
Site leveling continues in this shot. When the level reaches the orange markers, actual foundation work will begin.
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24 June 2004
Crushed rock is being added to bring the ground up to about three feet below the street surface. Then foundation work will begin.
That vibrating roller in the background may look small from up here, but does it pack a punch. When it's running you get a free massage in our restaurant!
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16 June 2004
The sidewalk is gone and most or the debris is cleared on this end.
Excavator dumps another load of rubble from the foundation of the old Hotel Casey.
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4 June 2004
The garage project finally get under way as construction trailer, Job-Johnnies and barricades, which block one traffic lane on Lackawanna Avenue, are put in place. We were able to talk the Public Safety Director of Scranton, Ray Hayes, into having the contractor install a temporary sidewalk using a second set of jersey barricades. This was necessary because the construction of the garage may take up to 15 months. That's a long time not to have a sidewalk on our side of the street. This view is from the roof of the Laundry Building.
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