![\"Connor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/STT-L-OLCITYLIVING-0329-04.jpg\")
Connor Smith poses for a photograph in an apartment unit in Riverview West in downtown Wilkes-Barre Thursday, March 12, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n
![\"Fran](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/STT-L-OLCITYLIVING-0329-02.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\nStemming from the region\u2019s rise during the Industrial Revolution, the downtowns of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre have long been the focal points of Lackawanna and Luzerne counties.<\/p>\n
As seats of governments and the early hubs of commerce and employment, the downtowns have had their various ups and downs over the years. Both are currently undergoing an evolution that has seen many older and historic buildings get converted into apartments that generally command higher-end rents. Folks taking up residency in these buildings have included the \u201cWork-from-Anywhere\u201d transplants, the \u201cMedical & Knowledge Class\u201d of professionals, the \u201cDownsizing\u201d boomers and the younger \u201cEarly-Career\u201d professionals and entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a look at four residents who have chosen to move into downtown apartments.<\/p>\n
Fran Langan<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Age: Senior citizen.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Occupation: A longtime professor at Keystone College, Langan, Ed.D., has worked in a variety of different roles and currently serves as a special adviser to the college president for strategic initiatives.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Her building: The historic Oppenheim Building on Lackawanna Avenue at the corner of Wyoming Avenue, owned by D&D Realty Group, a firm of Nick Dye and brothers Casey and Adam Donahue, since 2020. This four-story building decades ago was Scranton Dry Goods, the first store in the area to offer modern amenities including escalators, an air-conditioned tea room and garden center. It later housed various offices. D&D has converted it into apartments, created a rooftop bar as a popup in 2024 and added a full liquor license last year, and in January opened 7 Under Golf & Social golf simulator and sports bar on the first floor. D&D also owns the adjoining, eight-story Lewis & Reilly building at 112 Wyoming Ave., where Oppenheim tenants can visit the rooftop for stunning vistas of the city and beyond. The Langans live in a second-floor, corner unit at the Oppenheim with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Wyoming and Lackawanna avenues.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Why live downtown? Fran and her husband, Jerry Langan, lived for 50 years in a Victorian home in the Green Ridge neighborhood. In an empty-nest downsizing, they moved two years ago to the four-room luxury apartment in downtown Scranton. \u201cWe were in a large home and we were the only two people there. And we had large yard and a large outdoor area. We had a lot of indoor and outdoor space and it was major upkeep. My husband was tired of the upkeep. I said I would never move and certainly wasn\u2019t considering downtown (Scranton) initially, but we looked everywhere. We looked at condos and townhouses, but nothing was as spacious and had the high ceilings or the outdoor view. And even though we are overlooking Boscov\u2019s, for example, it\u2019s a vibrant view. It\u2019s a very different kind of view than a suburban neighborhood, but it\u2019s always filled with people and lots of activity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Daily routine: \u201cMy husband is retired so he does the downtown scene during the day. He meets people for lunch continuously throughout the week \u2014 work friends and old friends. I go to work, but in the evening we take advantage of the very rich restaurant life. We have our favorites and we probably frequent the restaurants more than we should.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Connectivity: They own two vehicles as their primary modes of transportation and park them across the street in rented spaces at the parking lot of the Marketplace at Steamtown. \u201cPeople ask all the time, \u2018Where in the world do you park?\u2019 We park across the street in the mall parking lot.\u201d At their former home in Green Ridge, they had two driveways, one in front and one in back, and a detached garage. \u201cOnce you decide you\u2019re not living there anymore, you just get used to a whole new way of doing things,\u201d including parking in a garage across the street.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002The \u201cMidnight Milk\u201d factor, on how she handles basic needs like groceries or late-night pharmacy runs within the downtown core: \u201cThose kinds of things you just handle. It\u2019s not problematic. You just plan differently. It\u2019s not an inconvenience at all. It\u2019s just a different way of living.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Biggest surprise of living downtown: \u201cI was surprised how friendly everyone was, I was surprised at how you could move into an apartment building and you could make it a home life.\u201d In their first Christmas there, they and neighbors got together and put a Christmas tree up in a common area, and then put up a larger tree this past Christmas. \u201cI think it\u2019s how you make it. When we lived in Green Ridge, we were very friendly with neighbors and we miss them, but we were open to making new friends. You can literally make new friends, if you\u2019re open to that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Her 2026 outlook, on the city\u2019s trajectory and whether the \u201crenaissance\u201d is sustainable: \u201cI think it\u2019s definitely a resurgence. I think that sustainability is always a challenge because the trajectory depends on individuals really understanding the value of the city and then of course utilizing all of the resources in the city and working to sustain all of the small businesses. And I do think there is movement in that direction.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002The community link, how she interacts with local landmarks: \u201cWe\u2019re close to churches, we\u2019re close to the theater, we\u2019re close to any of the landmarks, and the arts community. Every day when I pass the courthouse or any of the older buildings in downtown Scranton, I marvel at the architecture and how nicely everything is being refaced or resurfaced.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Favorite \u201cSmall Shop\u201d: \u201cLavish is one of the places that I can always find something and certainly Northern Light coffee shop is a definite go-to for my husband. Boden is a small boutique where you can always find something and Boscov\u2019s draws hundreds of customers daily.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Fitness\/leisure: \u201cWe have a gym in our building and Crunch Gym is right across the street. We have a outdoor bar\/restaurant (on the roof), and there\u2019s an eighth-floor terrace (atop the adjoining Lewis & Reilly building) that is just available to tenants. You can see the entire city. You can bring up your beach chairs and get some sun.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002The price point, value compared to previous residence: \u201cI do think that it\u2019s affordable for what you want to have. We fell in love with the Oppenheim because it was a traditional building and it was an historic building. It was easy to make friends because Casey and the others with D&D are really exceptional. They really care for the building. They really care for the tenants and that\u2019s essential for making an apartment community. I really think they deserve a lot of credit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor Smith<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Age: 25.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Occupation: Asset manager at Berkshire Asset Management, 46 Public Square in downtown Wilkes-Barre.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002His building: Riverview West, 11 W. Market St., Wilkes-Barre. The 11-story building owned by D&D Realty Group since 2016 contains a PNC Bank on first floor. Constructed in 1909, it formerly was the First and Second National Bank and First Eastern Bank before it became the PNC Bank building. Over 20 years ago, a water pipe burst on the ninth floor of the building, and the fifth to 11th floors were condemned. The upper floors were vacant for more than a decade. By 2018, D&D had transformed upper floors into upscale apartments. The building offers views of the Market Street Bridge and Susquehanna River. Smith lives on the fifth floor.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Why live downtown? Formerly of Swoyersville, Smith attended King\u2019s College in Wilkes-Barre and lived on campus. After graduating four years ago, he moved back home to Swoyersville for 10 months, before moving to Riverview West. \u201cThe job came first. I started with an internship and ended up full time here. I really liked the offer and really liked the people I worked with, so I stuck with them. Having a place really close to the office was key for me. I did not personally want to move into a house where I had all the maintenance and things that go into it. That just wasn\u2019t for me. I wanted a smaller place, I wanted something nice, more modern, and Riverview fit my needs.\u201d Smith continued: \u201cMy primary reasons for living downtown are, I\u2019m a five-minute walk away from work. Affordability; I live in a really nice apartment, all utilites are included. They do a really good job keeping up with it. There\u2019s a good crowd that lives there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Daily routine: He walks three blocks to and from work daily, and \u201cI have a couple of places right outside for lunch or dinner.\u201d Otherwise, he takes short drives to grab lunch. \u201cThere\u2019s a couple of places around within a 10-minute distance that I usually like to go to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Connectivity: His primary mode of transportation is a vehicle he owns. \u201cDepending on where I\u2019m going, I\u2019ll stop home and visit my family a couple times a week. The parking access, that\u2019s not really an issue. If I want to go somewhere, I\u2019m 15 minutes away. It\u2019s super easy, just hop in a car and get there. I just like having a car readily available.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002The \u201cMidnight Milk\u201d factor, on how he handles basic needs like groceries or late-night pharmacy runs within the downtown core: \u201cThere\u2019s not many grocery stores around the square. You\u2019re going to have to travel at least a five-minute drive to the nearest one.\u201d He added, \u201cI would say one of the cons is more so, yeah, you\u2019re going to have to get into a car if you want to go somewhere. If I want to go for groceries or a pharmacy, there\u2019s nothing within walking distance, per se.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Biggest surprise of living downtown: Smith said office vacancies in buildings have increased in recent years, and he hopes they can get filled up again and produce more foot traffic downtown. \u201cThe only thing I\u2019m kind of disappointed in is the vacancies and the (low) foot traffic in Wilkes-Barre. If you occupy those buildings and we get the foot traffic back in here, and you start marketing apartments to people who don\u2019t want to buy homes and want to rent, I think it\u2019s a fixable issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002His 2026 outlook, on the city\u2019s trajectory and whether a \u201crenaissance\u201d is sustainable: \u201cI think it\u201ds possible with some of these buildings that are going up for sale, if they get in the right hands.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002The community link, how he interacts with local landmarks: \u201cThere\u2019s a couple really good spots, there are places to walk around and places to eat at. The Kirby Center has been doing some great shows.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Favorite \u201cSmall Shop\u201d: He has several, including Cafe Toscana, 1 Public Square, and Franklin\u2019s bar and grill, 53 Public Square.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Fitness\/leisure: \u201cThe closest one is Planet Fitness, which is about five minutes away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002The price point, value compared to previous residence. \u201cIt\u2019s cheaper right now to rent than it is to buy. The cost of maintenance of houses, down payments, property taxes \u2014 it\u2019s just not an attractive time to buy. It\u2019s just cheaper to rent. You don\u2019t build up equity by renting an apartment, but you can build up equity if you put your cash into other places, like stocks and bonds, which is what I do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maureen McGuigan<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Age: 51.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Occupation: Director of Lackawanna County Arts and Culture Department.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Her building: 200 Adams, the six-story, former Lackawanna County government building that the county vacated and sold in a consolidation move of county offices and departments to the former Globe store on Wyoming Avenue. Originally the Stoehr & Fister Building, it was purchased by Jefferson-Werner LLC, a firm of developer Charles Jefferson, in 2019. The Stoehr & Fister furniture company constructed the 200 Adams Ave. building in 1922-23. Ornamentation on the facade depicts woodworker elves. Since the 1970s, the county overhauled the interior, added offices, cubicles, courtrooms, conference rooms and a series of infrastructure improvements. Jefferson\u2019s renovation restored bricked-up, first-floor window sections on the facade and Biden Street side of the building, brought the Lavish luxury spa, salon and boutique shop to the first floor and apartments in the upper floors. McGuigan lives on the fifth floor.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Why live downtown? After growing up in South Scranton, McGuigan moved to San Diego and Pittsburgh for a time before coming home to Scranton in the 2000s. She bought a home in South Side and was a homeowner for 14 years, until moving downtown in March 2021. She lives in a fifth-floor unit with her 3-year-old cat, named Suede. \u201cI loved living in my house, but I think there\u2019s a lot of benefits for living in an apartment. I think I\u2019m more of an apartment girl. Owning a house is a lifestyle and for me at that time in my life, with all that was happening downtown, it was so exciting. And I\u2019ve also loved downtown since I was a kid. So the chance to live there was really exciting to me. I love the hub and bub of the city. There\u2019s a liveliness to it. I love meeting people I know on the street and also seeing strangers and meeting new people. I love the vibe. It\u2019s just a microcosm of the world, in our own little way.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Daily routine: \u201cMy routine is always different. On the weekends, I like to write in coffee shops. I\u2019m close to the gym, too. I go to Crunch downtown. I don\u2019t have a super-regimented regime. I eat out a lot. My social life is pretty active. I work on the square, so it\u2019s nice. The square is very dear to my heart so I love having an apartment where I can look out on a place that has meant so much to me. I love my windows; I know that sounds funny, but some of the buildings downtown are so beautiful. I also love looking at the Electric City sign,\u201d atop the Scranton Electric Building on Linden Street, which she can see from her apartment.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Connectivity: She owns a car and parks in the nearby Casey parking garage. \u201cYou still need a car, but I\u2019m not driving to Northern Light or to the Bog or 16th Ward or the library or Crunch. I own a car and park it in a garage, which is convenient, but I notice that I have cut down on my use of a vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002The \u201cMidnight Milk\u201d factor, on how she handles basic needs like groceries or late-night pharmacy runs within the downtown core: \u201cI go to City Market on the corner if I need something. Mostly I drive to grocery stores and come home. I don\u2019t think the downtown is complete yet with amenities, however that\u2019s not a negative, I think. Most people have a car if they\u2019re moving downtown.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Biggest surprise of living downtown: The transition to apartment living from a house was easier than she expected. \u201cIn South Side, I had a carport. I thought walking groceries in would be a lot harder, but it\u2019s not as bad. I think it was easier than I thought. I have lived in apartments before. Actually the closets \u2014 this surprised me in a good way \u2014 even though I had a house, the closets are bigger in my apartment. It\u2019s also very quiet (in her apartment building). I thought it would be a little louder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Her 2026 outlook, on the city\u2019s trajectory and whether the \u201crenaissance\u201d is sustainable: \u201cOh, I do. I think that a lot of these apartments have waiting lists and I think a lot of people want to move downtown and that is great. I think the city is on the rise.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002The community link, how she interacts with local landmarks: As county arts and culture director, \u201cMaybe it\u2019s unfair for me, because it\u2019s my job, but I\u2019m constantly interacting with them in some way. I also run up to the Everhart (Museum, at Nay Aug Park). It\u2019s really not that far and that is a nice run. You have an interesting landscape to run in. You can even run or walk to the (Lackawanna River Heritage) trail, it\u2019s not that far.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Favorite \u201cSmall Shop\u201d: \u201cOne of the things I like about living downtown is it has made it so easy to be even more committed to shopping local. So many small unique businesses are walkable. \u00a0It\u2019s a pleasant experience and you find so many unique items. I did pretty much all my Christmas shopping downtown visiting the different stores. I also bought holiday cocktail dresses and got my hair done downtown. \u00a0If you need a gift in hurry it makes it easier too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Fitness\/leisure: \u201cI go to Crunch, but there\u2019s also a Pilates place downtown.\u201d Her office is at the Trolley Museum, so Crunch is on the way home from her office.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002The Price Point, value compared to previous residence: \u201cI had a cheaper mortgage, but for me it\u2019s a whole new lifestyle. If your boiler breaks or your roof goes, you have to have savings. I think there\u2019s a lot of benefits to not have to worry about that stuff. I just didn\u2019t want to have to worry about snow or if something breaks, there\u2019s someone else to take care of it. I just don\u2019t want to worry about that stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Linda Crognale<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Age: 72.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Occupation: retired.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Her building: The Bank, 24 S. Franklin St., Wilkes-Barre. Built in 1911 as the Miner\u2019s Bank, the 14-story historic building was a bank for over a century until Citizens Bank closed in 2013. Current owner, developer Mendy Gansburg, has since renamed the building \u201cThe Bank\u201d and it now boasts dozens of luxury apartments on seven floors and offices on four other floors. The former bank\u2019s lobby remains vacant. Crognale and her husband, John Crognale, live in a seventh-floor apartment, with their German shepherd dogs, Sarge and Lexi. Linda is retired, after working in an accounts payable and finance department at a property management company. John, 58, works from home as a manager for a commercial heating, HVAC, refrigeration service and maintenance corporation based in New Jersey and with clients in parts of the Northeast.\n<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Why live downtown? In an empty-nest downsizing, they moved in November to The Bank after living for the prior five years in a home with a mother-daughter setup on nearly 5 acres in Bear Creek. Former homeowners for decades, they previously lived in New Jersey and had moved around. Their son had gone to college in Wilkes-Barre and lives in Northeast Pennsylvania, and that\u2019s how they decided to move to Bear Creek. Now, as empty nesters, they decided it was time to move into an apartment, and the relocation to downtown Wilkes-Barre also meshed with their volunteerism in helping feed the homeless using space at St. Stephen\u2019s Church. \u201cI don\u2019t like the responsibility of a home anymore. That\u2019s a lot of responsibility \u2014 snowplowing, cutting the lawn, repairs on stuff that breaks. I don\u2019t have to worry anymore. At my age, that\u2019s what I want \u2014 easy. So we sold the house and came here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Daily routine: \u201cWe go to Abide (coffee shop). We buy coffee by the cup. We buy it by the grounds to take home. Everything we do is walk. We like walking around downtown and we walk our dogs there. It\u2019s good exercise and we walk along the river. We take the dogs up there. We have two large shepherds that need to be walked three or four times a day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Connectivity: Other than walking, they own a vehicle as their primary mode of transportation.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002The \u201cMidnight Milk\u201d factor, on how she handles basic needs like groceries or late-night pharmacy runs within the downtown core: \u201cI go to the grocery store and it\u2019s never late night. I just drive across the Market Street Bridge, to go to Price Chopper, that\u2019s one of the closest\u201d grocery stores.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Biggest surprise of living downtown: \u201cEverybody\u2019s very friendly here, that\u2019s the biggest thing. I would have to say how nice everybody is, very cooperative.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Her 2026 outlook, on the city\u2019s trajectory and whether the \u201crenaissance\u201d is sustainable: \u201cThings are happening. The whole city just gets involved with all kinds of things. I find that refreshing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002The community link, how she interacts with local landmarks: They became members of the Kirby Center and frequently attend concerts there. \u201cThe universities are great; we\u2019re right smack in the middle of both of them. And I love the architecture around all of these places.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Favorite \u201cSmall Shop\u201d: She has several, including Diamond City Vault, Abide coffee shop, Cafe Toscano, Franklin\u2019s and Rodano\u2019s.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002Fitness\/leisure: Her building has a gym.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u2002The price point, value compared to previous residence: \u201cI\u2019d say around here, it\u2019s perfect. I\u2019m saving money. It\u2019s less than my mortgage, so I\u2019m OK with that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Connor Smith poses for a photograph in an apartment unit in Riverview West in downtown Wilkes-Barre Thursday, March 12, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
\n<\/p>\n
Fran and Jerry Langan stand for a photograph in their apartment at The Oppenheim Building overlooking Wyoming and Lackawanna Ave. in downtown Scranton Wednesday, March 12, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n
![\"Fran](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/STT-L-OLCITYLIVING-0329-03.jpg?w=620\")
<\/p>\n
Fran and Jerry Langan stand for a photograph in their apartment at The Oppenheim Building overlooking Wyoming and Lackawanna Ave. in downtown Scranton Wednesday, March 12, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n
![\"Jerry](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/STT-L-OLCITYLIVING-0329-01.jpg?w=620\")
<\/p>\n
Jerry and Fran Langan stand for a photograph in their apartment at The Oppenheim Building overlooking Wyoming and Lackawanna Ave. in downtown Scranton Wednesday, March 12, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n
Show Caption<\/p>\n
1 of 3<\/p>\n
Fran and Jerry Langan stand for a photograph in their apartment at The Oppenheim Building overlooking Wyoming and Lackawanna Ave. in downtown Scranton Wednesday, March 12, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n
Expand<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Scranton resident Maureen McGuigan poses for a photograph with her cat Suede in her apartment at 200 Adams in downtown Scranton Monday, March 9, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n Scranton resident Maureen McGuigan poses for a photograph in her apartment at 200 Adams in downtown Scranton Monday, March 9, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n Show Caption<\/p>\n 1 of 2<\/p>\n Scranton resident Maureen McGuigan poses for a photograph with her cat Suede in her apartment at 200 Adams in downtown Scranton Monday, March 9, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n![\"Scranton](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/STT-L-LIVINGOL-0329-01.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"Scranton](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/STT-L-LIVINGOL-0329-02.jpg?w=620\")
<\/p>\n
![\"Linda,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/CVC-L-WBOUTLOOK-03XX-4.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"John,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/CVC-L-WBOUTLOOK-03XX-1.jpg?w=620\")
<\/p>\n![\"Linda,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/CVC-L-WBOUTLOOK-03XX-3.jpg?w=620\")
<\/p>\n![\"From](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/CVC-L-WBOUTLOOK-03XX-2.jpg?w=620\")
<\/p>\n