The Pressroom Restaurant + Bar will close after service March 5

In order to focus on its flagship business, Steinman Communications has decided to close The Pressroom Restaurant + Bar, a downtown Lancaster institution for 27 years, after service on March 5.  

The successor to Windows on Steinman Park, The Pressroom was part of the Steinman family’s efforts to keep downtown Lancaster alive at a time when its institutions were abandoning the city. 

 It opened just four months after Bon-Ton Stores Inc. moved to Park City Center, closing the former Watt & Shand department store on Penn Square in 1995. Other downtown businesses followed the migration to the shopping mall, the company said. 

 Lancaster Newspapers, the predecessor of LNP Media Group Inc., sought to keep downtown alive and The Pressroom was but part of that effort.  

The company built a then state-of-the-art press facility on the site that will soon become Mosaic, Willow Valley’s transformational residential tower; created Steinman Park as a community amenity; and converted previously unused space into apartments for students at the Pennsylvania College of Art & Design. 

 “Downtown Lancaster has undergone a renaissance in the last decade and The Pressroom was at the forefront” said Shane Zimmerman, president of Steinman Park Restaurant Inc. “It has been the host of many significant moments for the community, including a VIP reception prior to the 2017 Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Pennsylvania and the 225th Anniversary celebration of our community newspaper. It has also been the site for many cycle of life events, including birthday parties, wedding receptions and anniversary celebrations.  

“It has been an honor to be an essential part of the community and the lives of its residents. We are also grateful for the extraordinary dedication of the Pressroom staff in making it the premier dining spot in the region,” he said. 

 “COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the restaurant industry and The Pressroom has not been immune. However, the opening of Southern Market and the other activity taking place or planned for downtown has affirmed that the efforts over the last few decades have provided the bridge to a vibrant future for downtown Lancaster,” Bob Krasne, chairman of Steinman Communications, said. 

 “Our decision will enable our organization to focus on what is its core mission: providing meaningful local journalism for Lancaster County,” he said.  

Although the restaurant is scheduled to close on March 5, its banquet facilities will remain open until April 2.