"One of the biggest deals in Lancaster real estate"

​Whenever I walked past Park Ave Apartments, I would look at the current building now housing affordable apartments, the warehouse turned into luxury condos, and an often empty parking lot behind.

What was there?

Now, I have a little more background thanks to Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps dating back to 1886 and a Lancaster New Era clipping from 6 January 1917.

In one of the "biggest deals in Lancaster real estate", E.T. Fraim Lock Company purchased the entire row of 14 homes along what was the 200 block of Hamilton to double the capacity of the plant. The new building brought the grand total to 110,000 square feet, increasing production to 16 million locks annually. 600 men worked there.

6 January 1917 Lancaster New Era

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Contributed by Andrew Wesley Whalen. Andrew, a resident of the Sixth Ward since 2007, is a founding member of Lancaster's 6th Ward HistoryMakers. ​

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