751 Comments for Hotel Sterling

Minneapolis, MN had a beautiful building called the Metropolitan. They tore it down in the 60's as they did to many of MPLS fabulous buildings. Parts of the Metropolitan were recently found partially buried in an old quarry area. The original public library was a Richardsonian Romanesque design. They tore than down too, in the name of progress. No protesters back then. Nobody cared. Just like my grandma thinking her antique furniture was ugly and old. It is so sad. These buildings were built to last, but nobody wants them anymore. At least let the salvagers in to take the pretty stuff!

This view is from the now gone Plaza Tower

Makes you realize how important it is to have a good roof.

Amazing Motts!! just amazing . if i was homeless, id be camping in that lobby

I can see the beauty here can you imagine the people who visted and stayed here?

Responding to the previous post (Chris). Percy Brown's--my grandfather used to get fresh Italian bread and clam chowder; I heard it was the best. The Westmoreland Club is still there. The only place on earth to get authentic "Old Forge" Style pizza; if you never heard of it, you don't know what your missing. Just imagine Italian & Polish immigrants making pizza. Little known fact is that Planter's Peanuts was founded in W-B. Luzerne, Economy, Shavertown, & Plains Lumber Co's. Most gone but had previously been around for eon's. The one good thing is that they managed to hold on to Pomeroy's & the Paramount Theater...I think. Well, I guess it could be worse, we could be talking about Detroit, MI or Camden, NJ

What a disgrace!!! My family is from there, visited a lot, I lived there for a number of years and moved out about 2001. This Hotel does a great job of representing what Wilkes-Barre USED to be. The Sterling is a masterpiece of art work that came on the heels of the Gilded Age before income tax and at a time when business & industry was booming; not like today...no matter what the media says. I mean when the US WAS special. The Sterling is done in the same vane as the Boston Park Plaza, The Plaza in NYC, Waldorf, and The Bellvue. To lose it, in my opinion is the LAST nail in the coffin for the Wyoming Valley. Ironically the valley, since the death of the coal industry, has become known as the place that enters a recession first & exits it last. Third largest economy in the state (distant third) and there's absolutely NO industry to speak of but then again that's not so unusual nowadays. Sorry for the negativity but it's like watching your Dad get beat up or Babe Ruth get out done by one of the steroid charged athletes of today. It's pitiful a block away from the Sterling the McDonald's couldn't even stay open.

These are great pictures taken of the Sterling, and thank you so much for taking the risk to get them. My grandfather used to own the fur store that was inside the sterling and i used to go play in there as a kid all the time, its a shame what happened to that building. That buliding was truely a work of art, i will be sad to see it go

We had our Junior prom in this room in 1968/69 and Senior prom in 1969/70. Hanover Twp. Memorial.

My grandparents lived in Dallas, Pa. My grandmother used to have meals at the Sterling from time to time. I remember hearing about the hotel but I don't remember having been in it. The reason that I found this website is because I was discussing Thanksgiving with my mother, 86 years old. She said that one year -- 1950's, 1960's - my grandmother decided not to invite the family for Thanksgiving dinner. I guess she was just tired of all the work so she went by herself to the Sterling. I think that was her way of telling everyone that it was time someone else took over so it became my mother's responsibility after that. My grandmother said by the way, that the Thanksgiving dinner at the Sterling was very good but she missed the leftovers. Other places I either vaguely remember or remember hearing about from my parents and grandparents: Percy Brown's, St Stephen's Church where I was baptized, Lazarus Dept Store, the Westmoreland Club that my grandfather belonged to, the Black Diamond train ..... The city has changed! A shame about the hotel.....

They should create a museum for stuff like this.

The City of Wilkes-Barre should establish a museum with pictures, artifacts, textile work and tile, furniture etc on display for the public. These items should be collected prior to the demolition of the Hotel Sterling and the museum should stand as a shrine to the memory of the Hotel Sterling and remind the residents of Wilkes-Barre of their past.

You gotta see what they have done to this poor building... After our historical flood the gates that actually go across both sides of this bridge were leaking pretty bad, I mean thank god they didnt break cause the whole city would have been under water but alot of the water that did leak threw went into the basement of the Sterling. The city is telling the public that there is structural damage and it can't be repaired. They have millions in grants and even got money from the public to repair this old building and now there just shutting it down. Personally i think they just needed an excuse... They took the money and blew it on... Whatever... They even closed of half of the road cause there saying it could fall at anytime supposedly they don't have the money to tear it down either.... It's rediculious.... In its Hayday this place was probably amazing. Back then a person worked on the tile, railings, trimming by hand it wasn't stuck in a machine and had a button pushed... MOTTS brings this back to life! I've been on this site ever since I found it on 3 days ago continuously. Thank you for doing what you do Motts and I'm glad I get to comment on it too!

The main building had heavy damage to the foundation during the September 2011 flooding. The engineers now say it is unstable and must be torn down. The streets around the hotel are blocked off to traffic for safety. It is very sad, but I think it will be torn down in the near future. My mom and dad won a dance in the ball room in the early forties. It is very sad to see it now.

It would be a shame to tare down this building. So much money has been spent thus far in removing the Asbestos etc. that something should be done to save this building. I look at it each time I go to have my hair cut and I cant wait until I hear that the building is being saved and put to good use.