WILKES-BARRE -- It's the tallest building on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre, and it's getting a facelift. Work is underway right now to restore the inside of the historic Luzerne Bank Building.
“A lot of things have been ripped down that shouldn't have been ripped down, some thing have been ripped down that shouldn't have been ripped down, but we believe this was in good enough condition to be saved and kept,” said Jeff Pyros, one of the owners of the building. The owners are investing a quarter million dollars to restore the building.
The work isn't easy.
"It's all kind of challenging. We have to analyze all of the original finishes and determine the actual chemical makeup of each layer,” said Brian Fick of Evergreene Architectural Arts.
Customers don’t mind the mess either.
“Most of them are excited about it because they want to see the building stay the way it was and they don't want to see it go downhill and they want to see it preserved, said Luzerne Bank Manager Susan McHugh.
The restoration work is expected to take a few months.