SCRANTON — Fidelity Bank’s $27 million conversion of the historic 1896 Scranton Electric Building into the bank’s headquarters renovated a vacant, eight-story landmark at 507 Linden St. and returned it to a downtown anchor with 170 employees moved there from Dunmore.
And the future of the iconic “Scranton, The Electric City” sign atop the roof is ensured.
Gov. Josh Shapiro, who visited the building when it was under renovation in 2024 to announce a $5 million allocation from state funding for the project, returned Friday for a ceremonial ribbon-cutting at the new headquarters that opened about three months ago.
“Buildings like this matter in a community, and to see its rebirth, to see its revitalization and to see such an important company occupy it, well, it just warms my heart,” Shapiro told a crowd of 125 people.
“I want you to know this investment is an example of how the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is working hard, not just getting stuff done for Pennsylvanians, but to invest in our downtowns to ensure that they are vibrant and they have vitality in them.”
Constructed in 1896 by architect Lansing Holden in the Beaux Arts style, the building initially was the headquarters of the former Board of Trade amid the region’s railroad and anthracite boom. The Board of Trade was the precursor to the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. This building later was sold to the Scranton Electric Company, which erected the iconic “Scranton, The Electric City” illuminated sign atop the roof.
Fidelity Bank President and CEO Dan Santaniello said significant growth in recent years of the bank founded in 1902 in Dunmore required expansion. The bank determined that making the large investment in downtown Scranton, which is an anchor of Northeast Pennsylvania, would be the best move.
“This is more than an opening of a new headquarters, it’s a renewal of one of downtown Scranton’s treasures. It represents a major commitment to the future of the city,” Santaniello said. “Built in 1896, the Scranton Electric Building helped power the growth and prosperity of Scranton. More than a century later, we have honored that legacy, restored the character (of the building) and prepared it for a new purpose, serving as a home for Fidelity Bank’s next chapter.”
Fidelity announced the purchase of the building in April 2022 for $2.6 million. The cost of the project doubled from $13 million to roughly $26 million during the COVID-19 pandemic.
State Sen. Marty Flynn, D-22, Dunmore, noted the state, before Shapiro was governor, had approved $4 million in funding for the project, for a total state allocation of $9 million from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. The state funding came in the form of matching grants, so Fidelity had to put up $9 million of its own money, and also invested significantly more, Flynn said. Fidelity also will pay property taxes on the headquarters that is now spared from devolving into an eyesore and will be a hub of economic activity downtown, he said.
“This money is going into a building that is worth millions of dollars more than it was before,” Flynn said. “This is a good investment for taxpayers.”
Bank Chairman Brian Cali spoke of the difficult decision of relocating the headquarters out of Dunmore. But Fidelity’s former longtime headquarters on North Blakely Street in Dunmore also recently was renovated and modernized, as the bank maintains a commitment to Dunmore.
The new Scranton headquarters, which contains the illuminated “Scranton, The Electric City” sign that looms large over the square and symbolizes the city, had fallen vacant several years ago.
Even before buying the building, Fidelity demonstrated a commitment to it and its skyline beacon. The sign went dark in October 2021, when the building’s former owner was unable to pay the monthly electric bill. Fidelity stepped in to cover the tab for 12 months. The next year, Fidelity purchased the building.
The significance of the Electric City sign
A former commemorative plaque of the Scranton Electric Building at 507 Linden St. said:
“As early as 1910, there was an electric sign atop this building that could be seen after dark from many vantage points throughout the City of Scranton. In early photos it reads ‘Watch Scranton Grow.’ Later the message was changed to ‘Scranton – The Electric City’ to celebrate the city’s position as the first in the United States with a commercially viable electric street car line. The sign burned brightly for over six decades until it was extinguished in the early 1970s, a victim of the economic times. On December 9, 2004, the Electric City sign came to life once again, a symbol of a resurgent Scranton. The restoration of the Electric City sign was made possible by a community-wide fund raising campaign. Through the generosity of these donors, the sign will continue to shine as an icon of our past and a beacon to our future.”
The “Watch Scranton Grow” sign atop the former Board of Trade building at 507 Linden St. in downtown Scranton. (FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE LACKAWANNA HISTORICAL SOCIETY)
The “Scranton, The Electric City” sign atop the Scranton Electric Building on July 13, 2023. (TIMES-TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO)
Architectural gems
Fidelity Bank’s new headquarters at the Scranton Electric Building is one of several architecturally distinct structures around the Courthouse Square downtown. Some others, with descriptions from “History Set in Stone,” include:
• The 10-story Peoples Security Bank & Trust building, 150 N. Washington Ave. Originally known as the Mears Building, it was designed in 1896 by Isaac L. Williams and constructed in a Richardsonian Romanesque style with arched windows and a stone facade. It had various owners over the years, and the Helen K. Salsburg Candy Store occupied the corner retail space for many years, according to archives of The Times-Tribune. Developer Don Mammano bought this building in 2025.
• Lackawanna County Courthouse, in the middle of the square, originally built by architect Isaac G. Perry with two stories in 1884 in the Romanesque Revival style using local West Mountain stone. Architect B. Taylor Lacey added a third story in 1896, with eclectic style influences.
• Stoehr and Fister Building, 200 Adams Ave., a white tile structure erected in 1923 for Stoehr and Fister, one of the largest furniture houses in Pennsylvania. The exterior between the first and second floors features carvings of furniture-making elves. Lackawanna County owned this building for some time and used it as a county government office building, before selling it to developer Charles Jefferson in 2019. He has since put retail on the street-level and apartments above.
• Scranton Life Building, 538 Biden St., built in 1916 by Scranton architect Edward Langley for the Scranton Life Company. The mounted eagles on the crenellated, castlelike top symbolized the protection and strength of the insurance company.
• William J. Nealon Federal Courthouse and Post Office, 235 N. Washington Ave., constructed in 1930 by architect James Wetmore in the Neoclassical style with Art Deco details. After Peter Bolin designed and created an addition, featuring an atrium linking the historic post office with the new federal courthouse in 1999, the entire complex was renamed.
• Ad-Lin Building, 600 Linden St., built in 1896. The P.P. Carter Building’s Classical Revival/Commercial style set it apart from other commercial buildings of its era. This building housed various commercial and business enterprises. The name was changed to Ad-Lin Hall (Adams Avenue and Linden Street) in 1928. The University of Scranton purchased it in 2012.
Timeline: The Electric City sign
1896: What would later be called the Scranton Electric Building originally was constructed as the headquarters for the powerful Board of Trade and opened in 1896 amid the region’s railroad and anthracite boom.
1907: The first sign was installed atop the building with the slogan: “Watch Scranton Grow,” according to a Sept. 21, 1937, edition of The Scranton Tribune.
1913: The sign’s slogan became “Scranton, The Electric City.”
1937: Crews replaced the sign after it sustained damage from the elements, keeping the same design and phrase, according to The Scranton Tribune. The sign went dark for six weeks at the time, according to the 84-year-old news article.
2004: After being turned off for several decades, the sign was lit again on Dec. 9 and viewed as a metaphor for a renaissance of the city and its downtown.
2014: The sign was half-burned out and turned off until a restoration was completed. Converted from incandescent to LED bulbs, the renovated sign was turned back on during La Festa Italiana on Aug. 30.
2021: In October, the sign was turned off for more than two weeks when former building owner Robert Pettinato could no longer afford to pay the monthly bill. Fidelity Bank pledged to pay for the sign to remain lit for 12 months.
2022: On April 20, Fidelity announced it purchased the Scranton Electric Building for its corporate headquarters and will keep the sign lit for future generations.
2023: Interior demolitions of the building got underway around spring.
2026: Fidelity Bank completes its $27 million conversion of the historic building into a new bank headquarters, returning it to a downtown anchor with 170 employees moved there from Dunmore and ensuring the future of the iconic “Scranton, The Electric City” sign atop the roof.
A worker cleans the exterior of Fideilty Bank’s new headquarters at the Scranton Electric Building at 507 Linden St. in downtown Scranton on July 7, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
A worker cleans the exterior of Fideilty Bank’s new headquarters at the Scranton Electric Building at 507 Linden St. in downtown Scranton on July 7, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
A worker cleans the exterior of Fideilty Bank’s new headquarters at the Scranton Electric Building at 507 Linden St. in downtown Scranton on July 7, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
A worker cleans the exterior of Fideilty Bank’s new headquarters at the Scranton Electric Building at 507 Linden St. in downtown Scranton on July 7, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
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A worker cleans the exterior of Fideilty Bank’s new headquarters at the Scranton Electric Building at 507 Linden St. in downtown Scranton on July 7, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
Gov. Josh Shapiro offers remarks at an event marking the completion of the restoration of the Fidelity Bank Headquarters on Linden Street in Scranton on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Dan Santaniello, president and CEO of Fidelity Bank, offers remarks at an event marking the completion of the restoration of the Fidelity Bank Headquarters on Linden Street in Scranton on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Brian Cali, chairman of the Board of Directors at Fidelity Bank, offers remarks at an event marking the completion of the restoration of the Fidelity Bank Headquarters on Linden Street in Scranton on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Gov. Josh Shapiro offers remarks at an event marking the completion of the restoration of the Fidelity Bank Headquarters on Linden Street in Scranton on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
State Sen. Marty Flynn, D-22, Dunmore, offers remarks at an event marking the completion of the restoration of the Fidelity Bank Headquarters on Linden Street in Scranton on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Gov. Josh Shapiro offers remarks at an event marking the completion of the restoration of the Fidelity Bank Headquarters on Linden Street in Scranton on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
State Rep. Bridget Kosierowski, D-114, Waverly Twp., offers remarks at an event marking the completion of the restoration of the Fidelity Bank Headquarters on Linden Street in Scranton on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
State Rep. Kyle Donahue, D-113, Scranton, addresses the crowd at an event marking the completion of the restoration of the Fidelity Bank Headquarters on Linden Street in Scranton on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Lackawanna County Commissioner Thom Welby offers remarks at an event marking the completion of the restoration of the Fidelity Bank Headquarters on Linden Street in Scranton on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
State Rep. Bridget Kosierowski, D-114, Waverly Twp., offers remarks at an event marking the completion of the restoration of the Fidelity Bank Headquarters on Linden Street in Scranton on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Gov. Josh Shapiro offers remarks at an event marking the completion of the restoration of the Fidelity Bank Headquarters on Linden Street in Scranton on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Gov. Josh Shapiro offers remarks at an event marking the completion of the restoration of the Fidelity Bank Headquarters on Linden Street in Scranton on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Lackawanna County Commissioner Thom Welby offers remarks at an event marking the completion of the restoration of the Fidelity Bank Headquarters on Linden Street in Scranton on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Gov. Josh Shapiro offers remarks at an event marking the completion of the restoration of the Fidelity Bank Headquarters on Linden Street in Scranton on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
The “Watch Scranton Grow” sign atop the former Board of Trade building at 507 Linden St. in downtown Scranton. (FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE LACKAWANNA HISTORICAL SOCIETY)
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Gov. Josh Shapiro offers remarks at an event marking the completion of the restoration of the Fidelity Bank Headquarters on Linden Street in Scranton on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)