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Tag: courthouse

New federal courthouse in Harrisburg opened April 17

Sylvia H. Rambo U.S. Courthouse in Harrisburg. PHOTO/PROVIDED

It was two decades in the making, but the newly built Sylvia H. Rambo U.S. Courthouse in Harrisburg opened its doors to the public April 17.

The 243,000-square-foot courthouse at 1501 N. Sixth St., which will house the U.S. District Court and Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, replaces the 1960s-era Ronald Reagan Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse.

The Reagan building, at 228 Walnut St., only had four courtrooms because it doubled as a federal building and a courthouse; it didn’t meet the U.S. government’s requirements for a federal courthouse, according to the General Service Administration.

As the old courthouse closes, the Federal Station Post Office located there is projected to move into Strawberry Square on the 300 block of Market Street this month, theburgnews.com reported.

The new courthouse, named for the Honorable Sylvia H. Rambo, includes eight courtrooms and 11 chambers. Also on the premises are the U.S. Marshal Service, U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Trustee Office, Homeland Security, Federal Public Defender and the GSA.

Rambo is one of few women to have a federal courthouse named after her and the first in Pennsylvania. Among the others is retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

She was also the first woman chief public defender and Common Pleas Court judge in Cumberland County and the first woman federal judge for the Middle District.

A senior judge, Rambo was appointed to the federal bench in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter as part of a historic class of 23 women federal judges. Only 10 women had been appointed as federal judges in the previous 190 years.

The 10-story courthouse was substantially completed by the end of March, the GSA said. A ribbon cutting had been held in December 2022.

The official genesis of the project dates from 2003, when the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved money to find a site for a new federal courthouse in Harrisburg.

GSA said the overall cost for site acquisition, design and construction was $200.9 million.

Ennead Architects, of New York City, was the lead deign architect. Describing the project on its website, Ennead wrote:

“Inspired by Harrisburg’s civic history, regional landscape and evolving Midtown urban fabric, the building design aims to establish the new United States Federal Courthouse as a northern gateway and contemporary civic landmark that embodies the vital intersection between the federal judiciary and the community it serves.”

The fate of the 11-story, 251,179-square-foot Reagan building, built in 1966, has yet to be determined.

Over a year ago, it was purchased by out-of-state developer Global Ocean Investments for $10.1 million, which outlined plans to turn it into one-, two- and three-bedroom luxury apartments with such amenities as a fitness center, movie theater, salon and two restaurants. However, the building was sold again – earlier this year – to another out-of-state buyer, 1422 Route 179 Florida Realty LLC, for $13.13 million.

That buyer also wants to convert the office tower into apartments, biznewspa reported. Global Ocean is still involved in the project, as a lender.

Paula Wolf is a freelance writer

LeSean McCoy’s Harrisburg apartment plan gets green light

A firm headed by former Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy got the go-ahead from Harrisburg City Council this week to develop a 48-unit apartment building in midtown Harrisburg.

The $8 million complex on the 1500 block of North Sixth Street, near the new Sylvia H. Rambo United States Federal Courthouse, will be known as the Savoy.

Harrisburg-based Vice Capital, the company led by McCoy, a Harrisburg native, plans to demolish three unoccupied buildings at 1522, 1524 and 1526 N. Sixth St. in late March. Two of them date from 1912.

The Savoy will be a four-story, 62,370-square-foot edifice that will include studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. Ten of the apartments will be set aside as affordable.

Steel Works Construction is the general contractor. Its president, Jonathan Bowser, said site work should start in mid- to late summer. The first floor of the Savoy will feature commercial space that could be office, a restaurant or retail, he added.

Construction will likely take a year to complete.

Paula Wolf is a freelance writer

Former York tobacco warehouse being turned into luxury rentals 

A rendering of Susquehanna Real Estate’s proposed Courthouse Commons at 50 N. Duke St., York. PHOTO/PROVIDED

Susquehanna Real Estate is spending about $2.9 million to convert an office building at 50 N. Duke St., York, into 18 one- and two-bedroom luxury apartments known as Courthouse Commons. 

Sherman Property Management will handle the leasing.  

A former tobacco warehouse close to the York County Courthouse, it most recently housed The Sides Group (an RBC Wealth Management firm) and a division of WellSpan Health.  

“The units are designed to offer a lot of amenities and conveniences for those seeking the advantages of an urban lifestyle,” Jack Kay, president and CEO of Susquehanna Real Estate, said in a release. “It really presented an opportunity for us to creatively imagine what the next phase of life could be for this location.” 

A rendering of the interior of Courthouse Commons. PHOTO/PROVIDED

Courthouse Commons is within walking distance of numerous restaurants and such venues as Central Market York and the Appell Center for the Performing Arts. Kay wrote in a follow-up email that the company has a history of “new and innovative developments” in downtown York. “We developed 96 S. George in 1984, which at the time was the only new Class A multi-tenant office complex, raising the bar for amenities and features including being able to drive up to your floor in the King Street Garage.” 

In 2003, he said, Susquehanna also developed the Lofts on George Street, “the first upper-end residential condo project downtown.” In addition, “we developed the Susquehanna Commerce Center in 2007, which remains as one of the best commercial office campuses structured as a commercial condo.” 

 For the 50 N. Duke project, “we are incorporating the latest technologies, giving tenants the ability to utilize their phones for remote access and security, as well as ‘tuneable’ bathroom mirrors that allow light configuration and heating elements to prevent fogging,” Kay explained.  

All units come with designer kitchens; washer-dryers; high-tech security and access systems; secured, interior parking; and storage areas.  

The large two-bedroom, two-bath apartments feature separate bedroom suites with attached bathrooms and a common living, dining and kitchen space, Kay said, “making it ideal for a shared roommate arrangement.”  

Paula Wolf is a freelance writer. 

Harrisburg’s federal courthouse goes back up for sale for $22 million 

The Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse at 228 Walnut Street. PHOTO PROVIDED.

After selling for $10.01 million this week, The Ronald Regan Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse is now up for sale for $22 million. 

The 11-story, 246,000-square-foot building recently sold to Delaware-based R.R.F Building, according to a deed filed in Dauphin County public records. 

The building has now been listed for $22 million on commercial real estate listing site LoopNet. The listing, naming the property “The Federal,” calls it “the most prominent building on the most important corner of CBD Harrisburg.” 

The listing goes on to say that the property presents an ideal residential development opportunity, noting that the site is eligible for a 10-year tax abatement on any improvements and is located at an Opportunity Zone. 

The Harrisburg courthouse was built in 1966 and sits across from the city’s Strawberry Square and the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex at 228 Walnut Street. 

The U.S. General Services Administration announced in September that it would be putting the federal building and courthouse up for sale, citing that the building failed to meet federal security and expansion requirements. 

The GSA provides procurement for the federal government by managing its real estate portfolio of over 370 million rentable square feet across the country. 

The courthouse’s tenants, including the Pennsylvania 3rd Circuit U.S. Courts, U.S. Courts, U.S. Marshall Service, U.S. Attorneys and U.S. Trustees, are set to leave the building this summer when the construction of a new 243,000-square-foot courthouse at 6th and Reily Streets in Harrisburg is complete.  

Harrisburg’s federal courthouse sells for $10.01 million 

The Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse at 228 Walnut Street. PHOTO PROVIDED.

The Ronald Reagan Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse located in Harrisburg’s central business district sold for $10.01 million to a Delaware LLC with an office in New York City. 

The 11-story, 246,000-square-foot building was first listed for sale at a starting bid of $3 million last September following the news that the U.S. General Services Administration would be moving out of the building to a new 243,000-square-foot courthouse set to be completed this summer. 

The Harrisburg courthouse was built in 1966 and sits across from the city’s Strawberry Square and the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex at 228 Walnut Street. 

A deed filed in Dauphin County public records this week showed that the property sold for $10.01 million to R.R.F Building LLC. 

R.R.F Building is listed as the grantee of the deed. The deed lists the company’s address as 1320 Elder Avenue, Bronx, New York. 

De Bruin Law Firm, the attorney listed on the deed, was not immediately available for comment. 

The deed includes the property as a redevelopment opportunity, noting its location in the city, access to 55 parking spaces and its location in a Qualified Opportunity Zone. It sits on a .695-acre parcel and could be eligible for a 10-year tax abatement on any improvements. 

Federal courthouse in Harrisburg opens starting bid at $3 million 

The Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse at 228 Walnut Street. PHOTO PROVIDED.

The Ronald Reagan Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse located in Harrisburg’s central business district has been listed for sale at a starting bid of $3 million.

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced this week that it will be selling its 11-story, 246,000-square-foot building ahead of the construction of its new 243,000-square-foot courthouse set to be completed next summer.

The Harrisburg courthouse was built in 1966 and sits across from the city’s Strawberry Square and the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex at 228 Walnut Street.

The listing refers to the property as a redevelopment opportunity, noting its location in the city, access to 55 parking spaces and its location in a Qualified Opportunity Zone. It sits on a .695-acre parcel and could be eligible for a 10-year tax abatement on any improvements.

Documents accompanying the listing note that the building was constructed before 1978, meaning that the walls could have been painted with lead-based paints. The property also contains asbestos-containing materials and bidders are invited to inspect the property before submitting a bid.

The property is open for inspection by appointment only by registered bidders who have paid a $100,000 registration deposit.

The GSA provides procurement for the federal government by managing its real estate portfolio of over 370 million rentable square feet across the country.

It began construction of the city’s new federal building and courthouse in 2019 after it was found that the existing building did not meet federal security and expansion requirements.

The new 243,000-square-foot courthouse will be located at 6th and Reily Streets in Harrisburg and is expected to feature eight courtrooms and eleven chambers.

It is planned for a summer 2022 opening date with its exterior finishing by the end of next year.

Tenants for the new courthouse include: the Pennsylvania 3rd Circuit U.S. Courts, U.S. Courts, U.S. Marshal Service, U.S. Attorneys and U.S. Trustees.

Feds looking for hundreds of parking spaces for new federal courthouse

As construction ramps up on the federal courthouse in Midtown Harrisburg, the federal government has turned its attention to long-term parking needs around the nearly $200 million courthouse.

The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on Wednesday issued a request for information, asking for off-site parking options that can accommodate hundreds of workers and visitors, including jurors, to the federal courthouse.

The 243,000-square-foot courthouse, which will replace the courthouse in downtown Harrisburg, is being built at North Sixth and Reily streets and is expected to open in early 2022.

But the courthouse won’t have much on-site parking.

So the federal government is seeking private-sector feedback on where it could partner on surface lots or a parking garage for daily courthouse users.

The building will have eight courtrooms and 11 federal judges, plus staff. It also will house the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services System and the U.S. Marshals Service.

More than 250 full-time people will work there and the initial courthouse lease with the U.S. General Services Administration is for 20 years.

The request details specific parking requirements, including that parking spaces be located within an 1,100-foot radius of the site. There are several surrounding land parcels on Sixth and Seventh streets, many of them owned by Susquehanna Township-based Vartan Group Inc., that could be in play.

The Pennsylvania State Archives also is building a $24 million facility near the courthouse site.

According to the RFI, the government also wants at least 150 to 300 spaces for jurors and 118 to 174 spaces for court employees.

The deadline for responses is April 15. The full request is available here.