The city of Wilkes-Barre, like many mining settlements, fell into a deep depression when the nearby anthracite coal breakers closed. However the last existing railroad station hung on as a cocktail bar until it too was abandoned.
Wilkes-Barre was once a thriving coal mining town turned city in the Wyoming Valley of North Eastern Pennsylvania. Once the mines started to all close or fold in the 1970s due to low demand, the city was been left to gather dust. The Central Railroad of New Jersey’s (CNJ) passenger train station, which stands in the shadow of the once mighty and still ornate defunct Stegmier Brewery is still a very recognizable landmark along Wilkes-Barre Bouevard.
It was constructed in 1868. Passenger service ceased in 1963 and the station was closed in 1972. Over the years plans for it’s reuse and restoration have been made and broken. Fortunately it went on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The nearby Lehigh Valley station was demolished in 1963.
The structure was unsuccessfully operated as a restaurant and bar. When it closed it suffered from vandalism and neglect. But in 2020 efforts were revived to restore it.
