Concrete City

Concrete City
Company town
The ruins of an abandoned home in Concrete City, December 2023
The ruins of an abandoned home in Concrete City, December 2023
Concrete City is located in Pennsylvania
Concrete City
Concrete City
Concrete City is located in the United States
Concrete City
Concrete City
Coordinates: 41°11′21.48″N 75°58′33.96″W / 41.1893000°N 75.9761000°W / 41.1893000; -75.9761000
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
CountyLuzerne
Founded1911
Abandoned1924
Population
 (2024)
 • Total
0
 • Estimate 
(1924)
Around 80
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)

Concrete City is a ghost town in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was an early example of International Style architecture in the United States, built as company housing in 1911 for select employees of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad's coal division in Nanticoke.[1]

The complex originally consisted of 22 duplex houses which surrounded a central courtyard containing tennis courts and a baseball field.[2]

It was eventually taken over by the Glen Alden Coal Company who, uninterested in paying for required improvements and unable to demolish it due to its robust construction, abandoned the property in 1924.[3]

In 1998, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission declared Concrete City a historic site.[4]

Concrete City stands to this day, albeit in extreme disrepair. Demolition plans by the state were scrapped due to the cost of a potential operation. The ghost town is commonly used by military, police, firefighters,[5] airsoft military-simulation events,[6] recreational paintball players for staged games, and as a popular site for urban explorers.

See also

References

  1. ^ Janosov, Robert. "Concrete City: Garden Village of the Anthracite Region" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 30, 2005. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
  2. ^ "Concrete City". atlasobscura.com. Atlas Obscura. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  3. ^ "Concrete City". hmdb.org. The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  4. ^ "Concrete City Historical Marker". explorepahistory.com. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
  5. ^ Goran, David (May 29, 2016). "The ruins of the Concrete City – A post-apocalyptic looking ghost town, abandoned for 90 years". thevintagenews.com. The Vintage News. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  6. ^ "Concrete City Airsoft: CTF Gameplay, Cut Throat Contracting". youtube.com. YouTube. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
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