A New Chester County Facility Is On The Horizon

Starting this past June, the Hankin Group began breathing life back into a 125 year old landmark structure along the French Creek in Phoenixville.

The gigantic Phoenixville Foundry, abandoned when Phoenix Steel went bankrupt in 1987, will be undergoing major restoration and renovation to convert the historic structure into a large banquet hall for special events.

Yesterday, I had an opportunity to meet the facility director, Bob Tomasso, and while taking a tour of the grandiose building, learned a bit about the plans he and his company have for the location.

It will be a multiuse, flexible space with partitions to divide the 15,000-square-foot open space. A grand staircase from the lobby will lead up to a 7,000-square-foot mezzanine, taking advantage of the 65-foot ceilings.

"Currently, when you enter the building, it's pretty overwhelming.", Mr. Tomasso told me. "The 65 foot ceilings and the vastness of the room would really benefit from the addition of a mezzanine. We also plan to remove the bottom sections of the oven stacks to make room for a kitchen area, but we'll leave the upper parts to remind people of the building's origin."

The Schuylkill River Heritage Center will also be housed in the foundry. The center's 12,000-square-foot space will officially open on Sept. 28. The center is headed by Barbara Cohen, who spearheaded the exterior restoration of the foundry and the installation of the "Symbols of Steel" sculpture garden.

Tomasso said Cohen was the "angel" who transformed the foundry into "saleable condition".

In one part of the foundry sits a large wooden crane used when steel was being made here. Tomasso said the crane may be the last of its kind in the United States, and the Hankin Group intends to keep the historical machinery in the space.

The project is expected to be completed by December.

"There are very few places in Chester County that have this much space for a wedding or corporate event", Tomasso said. He also shared his belief that the restoration of the Phoenixville Foundry would contribute to the revitalization of the town. That's a pretty hard nbotion to refute.

I am currently speaking with a bride who plans to host her reception at the location in August. She'll be using the ENTIRE facility!

It's really exciting to consider what this new location will have to offer to the community! Please enjoy some photos I took there yesterday: Click here to see the photos