Walking Tour of Bloomsburg Preview

1

Town Fountain

The town acquired the fountain from the J. L. Mott Company in New York City, and had it installed in 1892, in the fall. The Bloomsburg Water Company informed Town Council it would supply free water for a fountain, and Town Council used money from the David Stroup estate to purchase the fountain. In the late 1960s the fountain was replaced; some twenty years later it was re-installed and then in 2002 refurbished to its original appearance.

2

Caldwell Consistory

The Caldwell Consistory was built in the Victorian Eclectic/ Modified Colonial Revival Style. Trumen P. Reitmyer, of Williamsport, was the Architect. Caldwell Consistory, Valley of Bloomsburg, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, is a fraternal organization for master Masons founded in 1867 and named for John Caldwell, a prominent Philadelphia Mason. One million terra cotta bricks were used in constructing the building. The double-headed eagle above the front door is the symbol for a consistory.

3

Columbia County Courthouse

The front section of the Columbia County Courthouse was built in the Romanesque Revival style. When the county seat was moved from Danville to Bloomsburg in 1846, the town’s citizens raised private funds to erect the courthouse and jail. The original small brick courthouse had a front portico with six Ionic columns, and a tower reaching eighty feet above the ground. The building has been enlarged three times: rear extension in 1868, expansion to the front in 1891 (with a new entrance and clock tower), and a second addition to the rear in 1938.

4

Bloomsburg Town Hall

The Bloomsburg Town Hall was constructed in the Romanesque Style. Notice that the exterior walls incorporated molded terra cotta bricks (now painted). Bloomsburg is the only “incorporated town” in the state. Originally, this building accommodated the municipal government, a lock-up, public meeting rooms, and also the Friendship Fire Company station.

5

Carver Hall

Carver Hall was built in the Georgian Revival Style with Italianate Revival Elements. The center cupola was replaced by a projecting domed bell tower in 1900. Lights were added to the tower in 1954 as a memorial to students who died serving in World War II. Originally called Institute Hall, it was the first building erected on the present campus. Later renamed in honor of Henry Carver, the Principal from the year 1866 to the year 1871.

6

Sneidman's Jewelry Store Clock

This clock was erected by the A.B. Hess Jewelry Store and was relettered when the business was bought by Sneidman circa 1924. A similar clock stood near Market Square at the former Roy’s Jewelers, 40 West Main Street.

7

Alvina Krause Theatre

The Alvina Krause Theatre is designed in the Art Deco style. The Grand Opera House, built in 1874, was formerly located on this site and was demolished in 1938 to make way for the Columbia Theatre, which opened in 1940. The Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble (BTE) purchased the building in 1980, gutted it, and renovated the interior to make it suitable for live performance. Original Art Deco decorations were re-installed inside the theatre

8

Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Monument

Constructed from seventeen blocks of granite, weighing 100 tons and rising sixty feet tall. Purchased by the County Commissioners from Worden Brothers, Batavia, New York. On the shaft are the names of some Civil War battles in which Columbia County soldiers fought. Statues on the four corners represent the infantry, cavalry, artillery, and navy.

9

US Post Office

Bloomsburg’s Colonial revival style post office is a handsome addition to the streetscape. The red brick and white trim harmonize with nearby buildings. The triangular pediment and fan light echo the pediment and arched windows of the public library across the street. Like Roy King’s sculpture for the Bloomsburg post office, Edward Hicks depicts a frieze-like procession of livestock. Although the figures in the background appear to be wealthy gentleman farmers as opposed to the working farm family in King’s sculpture. Edward Hicks was a devout Quaker and sign painter who lived in Bucks County. The building is constructed within the High Georgian Style, complete with Flemish bond veneer brickwork. Of note in the lobby are low-relief sculptures depicting agricultural scenes. Built as a project of the Depression-era Works Progress Administration. From the year 1840 to the year 1847, J. R. Moyer, postmaster, operated the Post Office in his store on this site.

10

Man Dog Beast Fountain

Made of Cast Iron. Erected on the southeast corner of Market and Main Streets after 66 citizens petitioned Town Council for a drinking fountain at Market Square; restored and relocated to this site in 1991. The name represents the three basins - for people, horses, and dogs. Purchased from the same company as the town fountain.

11

Bloomsburg Public Library

The Bloomsburg Public Library is a High Georgian Revival Style. Verus T. Ritter was the architect. Appreciate the engaged stone façade and pedimented gable roof. Note the stone relief depicting the shield from the Pennsylvania coat of arms in the triangular pediment. An outcome of Bloomsburg’s centennial celebration in 1902 was the establishment of a free public library. It began in rented rooms until this building was erected at a cost of $100,000; the addition at the right was completed in 1998.