York’s fabulous historic architecture has made it a national historic district, with an “historically edgy” downtown.
At its center, stands Continental Square. The heart of revitalizing downtown, the Square was neglected until YCCF commissioned a study to revive it. The study envisioned lighting the exterior of its iconic buildings as a way to highlight their beauty and draw people to the city center. One building stood out as a prime opportunity for reinvestment – the Dempwolf-designed Rupp Building on the southwest corner of the Square.
With funding from YCCF’s Beautiful York Endowment, Downtown Inc secured lighting designs for all the buildings on the Square and began switching on the lights. In 2018, RSDC purchased the building, with lighting the exterior’s exquisite gargoyles and cornices as an important part of their plan.
Now, as visitors patronize restaurants, shops, and cultural venues in downtown York in the evenings, the Rupp Building lights remind them of the historic assets that make York special.
In 2018, 33 new businesses and 132 new residential units were added downtown, plus two new businesses will be opening next year in the Rupp building.
YCCF understands that a strong downtown is at the heart of a stronger York County. We are proud of our investments in a vibrant downtown, including as a lead partner in the creation of the “Historically Edgy” Downtown York and “Have It Made Here” York County destination brands that will show
off our city to visitors from around the world.
