Reflecting on 20 Lancaster City milestones

Lancaster City has made major strides in the past two-plus decades—as creative entrepreneurs and community leaders saw potential in our city, made long-term investments, and continue to find new ways to sustainably grow and innovate. This list of 20 milestones touches on some of the notable events we consider turning points in the local community. Each has contributed to making Lancaster City what it is today.

1998: The Belvedere Inn opens

Restaurateur Dean Oberholtzer turns an 1869 Victorian Italianate-style mansion into The Belvedere Inn, a cornerstone in Lancaster’s restaurant community.

1999: First Friday is launched

Modeled after nearby Philly, Carol Foley Bolt holds exhibit openings on the First Friday of the month, asking other galleries and shops to stay open late.

2001: Lancaster Amtrak is recognized

Lancaster Amtrak becomes part of the Lancaster City Historic District.

2004: Bright Side Opportunities Center opens

Bright Side Opportunities Center opens in southwest Lancaster offering multiple community services under one roof—including STEM and wellness initiatives for local youth.

2005: Gallery Row is established

Dennis & Gaye Cox purchase buildings along North Prince Street where Gaye’s CityFolk and other galleries open, establishing the roots of Gallery Row and sparking an arts revitalization in the city.

2005: Baseball comes to Lancaster City

Clipper Magazine Stadium, now known as Penn Medicine Park, opens and hosts its first season of baseball.

2005: Fig Magazine is born

The first issue of Fig is mailed to residents around Lancaster County, encouraging them to come to the city to support Lancaster’s small businesses.

2009: Watt & Shand becomes Lancaster Marriott

Lancaster Marriott and integrated Lancaster County Convention Center open at Penn Square.

2010: The Ware Center opens

The Ware Center opens as a premier visual and performing arts center.

2011: Raise the Roof is complete

The oldest continuously operating farmers’ market in the country, Lancaster Central Market receives major renovations to maintain this historic treasure.

2012: ExtraGive is piloted

Lancaster County Community Foundation pilots the first ExtraGive, raising $1.6 million in 24 hours for local nonprofits and kicking off a now annual day of community-wide philanthropy.

2014: Tec Centro opens

SACA’s bilingual workforce development center Tec Centro opens its first location.

2015: SoWe is established

Resident-led initiative SoWe is launched to strengthen social and economic well-being of Lancaster’s southwest.

2018: A cultural hub is born

Zoetropolis Cinema Stillhouse moves into a former furniture store on Water Street, offering a theatre, restaurant, and distillery in one cultural hub.

2019: An ATP is established

Lancaster adopts an Active Transportation Plan to enhance walkability and bikeability.

2021: The Fulton returns to live

Fulton Theatre unveils a major expansion, including theater experience upgrades, a new dance studio, reimagined lobby and box office, and actor apartments.

2022: A reimagined Southern Market reopens

Willow Valley Communities reopens historic Southern Market with a public food hall and bar, along with private offices and meeting spaces.

2022: A center city gathering place is established

Ewell Plaza opens in the heart of the city, housing a new space for Lancaster Public Library and complementing the adjacent 101NQ development.

2025: Mosaic breaks ground

Willow Valley breaks ground on Mosaic, a premier 55+ community between Central Market and Southern Market.

2026: History is made

LancasterHistory is set to open The Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith Center for History and Democracy, a museum and education center adjacent to the Convention Center.

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