20-24 West Main Street
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Casper Chrisman built the original log and frame Exchange Hotel in 1810, which was followed c. 1858 by a three-story brick Federal Style building. Destroyed by fire in 1870, the hotel was replaced in 1874 by an impressive four-
story brick Second Empire building with mansard roof. It was purchased in 1912 by James Magee II, the founder of the Magee Carpet Company, and renamed the Magee Hotel. Following fire damage in 1933, the present Neo-Classical façade was constructed. The hotel ceased operation in 2003.
226 Center Street
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The Grand Opera House (1874) formerly located on this site was demolished in 1938 to make way for the Columbia Theatre, which opened in 1940. The Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble (BTE) purchased the building in 1980, gutted
it, and renovated the interior to make it suitable for live performance. Original Art Deco decorations were re-installed inside the theatre, renamed the Alvina Krause Theatre in honor of the Ensemble’s founder.
56-64 East Main Street
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The Crescent Building was built by wholesaler Jacob Keller, who moved his business in the first floor when the building was
completed in 1893. Designed with Romanesque and Queen Anne elements, note the distinctive crescent of bricks, the floral terra cotta embellishments, and the curved wrought-iron balconies.
Turn to pages 12 for Map Guide
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