The Lobby

Woah first! Motts as always this is an AMAZING SHOT!

Love the before and after ; great insight

Yes new shots! Look like it's lost it's sense of grander. Those railings sure look nice.

I've been looking at this website for a while now and it is amazing (I am fascinated by abandoned mental hospitals and the history of mental health care). Motts, your photography skills are spectacular! I felt particularly compelled to post a comment here as I live a mere 40 minutes or so from Wilkes-Barre. I've never heard of this hotel until now so it is really neat to see photos of a place nearby! Keep up the awesome work, Motts. I will surely comment on other galleries :)

Wowwwwwwwww the railings and the pillars are the same amazing!! Too bad it doesn't look so spacious anymore compared to the old pic. Shame, but wow that's beautiful.

Love the before and after shots!

Holy Christmas, Motts!

*yeah, awesome stuff!*

Anytime there are before and after shots it just adds to the shot, thank you Motts! And by the way this is a terrific shot, love those banisters, columns and the ceiling.

My goodness, I think I spotted myself in the old 1908 photo. Just scared the crap out of this old dude, are we all doomed to repeat ourselves in the dust bin of history, or is it just me indulging myself in fantasy and bizarre bit of creating something that never existed and never will. Me, Jack, the hotel, what is this thing we call life?

if anyone played resident evil 1 on playstation this looks just like the video game great shot motts......

I'm gonna LOVE this set.....

Same here, I can tell this is going to be favorite already. The lobby actually looks in very good shape.

Wow... I can only imagine what it looked like back in the day...

The before & after shots are great! Always glad to be viewing your photos!

i miss this place so much..my first UE expeditions happened here..thanks for doing it justice,this place means alot to me

The columns are to die for. . . Are the building you visit ever salvaged? Or just torn down?

Amazing!

Wonderful !

Signed an American Soldier stationed in Mannheim, Germany.

Wednesday, 30 / April / 2008
German time; 10:47 P.M.

New pics!! Happy dance!!!

great photo! love the arcitecture in this one

Good ole Pensylvania !!! :)

Motts, are you ever working twosome, or sometimes alone?

Mr. Motts, I agree with laura; i stumbled upon this website after i saw a ghost show about one of the mental hospitals. i love those hospitals, they are beautiful. i old hotels too. i've been sending everyone i know this website. what i am surprised about is that you have never caught any spirits in your shots, any that i could spot that is. i'm sort of a ghost hunter and live vicariously through others' pictures and i've never seen anything that jumped out at me (haha). even when you did the angel photos with your friend dressed up in wings and a halo, i would have thought doing that would have brought them out. i bet you hear strange noises in these old buildings at times though don't you? you should bring an EVP thing with you.

LOVE THIS WEBSITE!

To bad this place couldn't have been made into a private residence like a home, or cleaned up to be a working hotel once again, or even a Bed and Breakfast complete with antiques. Could you imagine how much space you would have to get lost in this beautiful place? Amazing! Too bad most of these places are being re-desinged and made into condos, while other old structures like this one are simply being demolished only to then make way for a parking lot, or a shopping center, or more condos. I love old buildings, especially reading up on the history of them too. I love the lobby picture most of all, very beautiful designs on the large collumns and on the railings of the second floor. Reminds me of lost elegence of a forgotten time in history that is often overlooked nowadays. Nice pictures and wonderful website by the way, keep up the good work.

@motts, i wonder who the person is in the blue shirt and black pants, standing behind the glass door at the left side of the corner pillar, just ahead, even the left hand is visible as he stands sidewise and looking half left half to the camera, but the face is somehow blurry so i cant say if its really a person standing over there or something else or just my eyes playing a trick.

Wonderful pillars! What a neat room, must've been something back in the day!

The Sterling has always been a mystery for those not brave enough to venture in. There used to be a club in the rear, side, of the Hotel were local punk and hardcore bands played. The entrance to "Metro" used to be through the Sterling. For as long as I can remember Wilkes-Barre has been talking about turning it in to "higher class" apartments or dorms for the universities, none of those venturs have ever fell through.

Cheers to Motts for documenting the past and the inside ....out

Ohmygodohmygodohmygod. I live in PA. I need to go here. And the York County Prison too!!

Wow It's looks so diffrent from when it first opened.Your photographs are so awsome nad sometimes give me shivers down my spine.Your work is amazing!

damn. it looks amazing even when its not new.

The sun light coming from above the ceiling is wonderful.

HEYYY! i love in wilkes-barre, P.A.
a few blocks down from hotel sterling, in fact.
it doesn't look as creepy outside, as it does in. hm.

oops live*

This lobby looks the same as the ship lobby on a video game called Ghost Hunter.. how wierd.

wow .
this must have looked amazing when it was still up and running .
Great shot Motts .
(:

Awsome what a shame to see it in such a ruin.

Nice one motts, the pillars are awesome!

It's a shame it had to be demolished.
I mean, imagine the people that stayed there, probably on vacation, or a buiseness trip.
I wish I could have been there when it was still operational.

Wow. Did anybody else get the Shining reference? Would have loved to film in here.

I worked in the Hotel Sterling for approximately two years before joining the Air Force in 1970. Awesome place! Love your pictures and appreciate you bringing back fond memories. I always enjoyed working there and all the excitement that come with grand Hotel. Thanks again and keep up the great work!!!

What a shame the building couldn't be saved. This lobby photo (esp the before & after shots) are incredible. It really must have been beautiful in its hey day. Thanks again for your wonderful photos , Motts. I look forward to this gallery as well as many many more from you....for I still have much to look through as well as the 'new' ones you will be posting esp from your trip. Can't wait. Well on to this one. It really must have been a beautiful place in its day.

It's really amazing you managed to ever get in this place. I walk by it seemingly everyday and I was never able to pick out any viable entrance. It's good that I can look through this gallery to finally pique my childhood curiosity as to what's actually inside Hotel Sterling.

hi motts. i live like a 5 min drive away from the sterling hotel. and in the article you said that it was demolished in february 2007. and thats not true they only took down a little bit of it. the rest is still all there. .....it truly is a wonderful thought to think how beautiful it was back in the day, my mom was there a long time ago and said it really was a gorgeous hotel.

it had a chance to still be running today but people just didnt take care of it. after the flood of 1972 and the fire (which you mentioned in the article.....and i heard my mom tell me like a million times) ....the people who owned the hotel just werent taking care of it the way that they should of been. and now it sits there and people vandalize it and set fires in it all the time.
and motts dont think i'm acting rude cuz thats not my goal i'm just stating the facts

just so you know, not all of the Sterling Hotel was demolished in 2006 like the other page says. I like about 3 minutes away, and it's still there. These pictures are amazing! I've always wanted to go in there!

I am a former resident with family in the area, but yes this part of Hotel Sterling is still up and is supposed to be renovated into condos. Another building which was part of the complex was torn down as it was deemed not worthy of renovation.

Looks like they just threw the stuff there from the balconies.

I stand in the presence of lost grandeur and old world magnificence only to realize that this is to be nevermore. Tears stream down.

do you know any othr sites like this

I live in Wilkes Barre and never got the opportunity to go inside the Sterling. Though I've always wanted to see it. Thanks Motts for traveling and taking this photos!

i always wondered what this place looked like. its a shame they let it go to waste. it looks really nice, if u look past all the garbage and mold and stuff.

Does anyone know anyone who collects items from the Sterling Hotel? I have a long console table that was in the suite of A.J. Sordoni himself. The table is stamped property of A.J. Sordoni. Please contact me at cjohns1313@yahoo.com if anyone is interested.

This place was amazing... I have fond memories of dinners there in the late 70's. Awesome pics!

*DINGG* "Somebody's checking in?!"
"If this is the Happiness Hotel, I'd hate to see what the sad one looks like!"

This is how it would have looked like in this glory days.
http://www.northeast.r...tclint/sterling3.jpg

If anyone is interested I just listed this evening (11/27/09) on ebay an original c1905 Hotel Sterling Lobby photograph on ebay. Click on or follow the link below:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws...mp;item=360212393143

WOW ! I In the fall of 1983 through much of 1984, a friend & i LIVED at the Sterling. one bed w/ a "taco effect" mattress......WHEEEEE! Got a new double mattress. Still have pictures of the room, view out the window. Knew some nice folks there.Aad often wonder where they are. !n the early *80s the feel was one of low rent housing . The was a small club downstairs near the lobby & a cafe where I often had WONDERFUL breakfasts.I have had dreams I was back there. I can tell a lot of people hold great affection for the Sterling & yes ,we all loved that lobby. It was a'draw' then ..People came in just to show it to visitors from out of area..Must check the forum out . Just might find some references to that period. SO GLAD YOU FOUND AN ENTRY WAY!!!!!!!!i i CAN ENJOY THE Sterling here in Portland, OR

Hey, great stuff here! i live in Wilkes-Barre/Kingston and I was never in the Sterling! They actually never demolished the entire building.. maybe half? A lot of people have used the fire escape to get in I hear? Thanks for the posts!

destroyed

I've walked past this building almost everyday for the past 5 years and I never knew that it was, or could be so beautiful inside.

I immediately think of the tv show Angel when I see this shot.

This is a great one with that comparison. You truly are a talent!

ive lived in wilkes barre for all my life [ 20 years] && ive always wanted to see inside the Hotel Sterling. I wish I could find pictures when everything was new but im having such a hard time. I never knew how popular this Hotel is, still, 114 years after it opened. if anyone knows of any websites with old, old photos of the H. Sterling, contact me on facebook search: ashley miller. these are amazing pictures, thanks for posting them :)

Hi, my name is Lisa and i stumbled upon this site after reading our local newspaper today. Today is St. Patricks day 2011. The article and the talk around town is very upsetting. The Sterling is going to be torn down, contrary to what this web site states it is still standing. The new owners recieved 6 million in taxpayers money to do some work to the property and get it ready to be sold and renovated. We were under the impression for 5 yrs. that this beautiful, historic hotel would be around for a long time! According the the owners, 100 million is needed and no developers are interested and it's now the end of the Hotel Sterling! So SAD!!! Most locals are very upset, thinking they were duped, 6 million in our money wasted and still no hope for the hotel. This place was where politicans stayed while in town, celebrities, weddings were held here and now it's going to see the wrecking ball! Please, if you haven't seen it, do so soon. It will be gone forever like many other historic buildings. I personally haven't seen the inside and now will definately check it out for myself. Such a waste, can't imagine 113 yrs. of memories and beauty will be gone forever! Thanks motts for capturing the former beauty of the Sterling for future generations to cherish!

Hi Lisa,
I am starting an orgnanization to preserve the sterling-like my fb group if you are interested in saving it http://www.facebook.co...e-PA/147946351934833
Let others know too.

The Loss of such an impresive landmark in WIlkes-Barre is not a step in the right direction as the local politicians would like everyone to believe. Replacing a true architechtural gem with either a vacant lot or a new faceless glass and concrete box is rediculous. I read a partial list of how the 6 million dollars was spent on the property. I am not an expert, but I would think it would have been prudent to spend some of that money on repairing the roof and drainage systems which would have kept the structural and cosmetic damage from progressing. Even though I am pretty sure there is no way of stopping the planned demolition, I still hold a shadow of hope that somehow the building will survive for generations to come.

I just read the article Motts posted about the demolition of this beautiful hotel. I do actually have several favorite locations that Motts has posted and this is one of them. It is such a shame that yet another grand old place will be torn down. I wish something could have been done but it looks hopeless. I hope they don't put another damn Wal-Mart there. Urgh. Thanks for the info, Motts.

It's a crying shame. We're losing another architectural gem to the wrecking ball. Buildings of this era are national treasures & should be treated as such. It's just a crying shame. =8`-(

Just wanted to clarify something for the people reading about the Srerling Hotel on here. I live close by and reading the comments regarding weather or not the hotel was torn down or not, it has NOT been demolished, yet. The smaller biulding next to or behind the Sterling, or the larger building was torn down about 5 or 6 yrs. ago. It was not safe and had to go. The Sterling Hotel still stands, however recently was announced that it too will be torn down. The new owners say they cannot find anyone willing to invest the money needed to renovate it. They are saying it will cost around 100 million after at least 6 million of taxpayer money was already used to remove asbestos, demolish the tower next to the hotel, secure it so it does not deteriote any further, and to market it with a real estate firm. So sad to see it go, however I cannot see how it can be saved, needing that kind of money.
Bertha, once I finally get a facebook account, (i must be the only person not on facebook) I will check you out and see what we can do. There has to be something that can be done. Also, Bertha, thank you for caring about the Sterling, and all of the others that do too. It would be a shame to see such a beautiful, historic landmark to go!

Thanks for the update Lisa. It sounds like demolishing it is inevitable (although I hope not!!!) but if there is some way we can help, let us know! I know I am interested. :) I can only imagine how stunning this must have been back in its heyday. It would indeed be a shame to see it demolished.

Hi Kathy,
I do not know where you live but there will be a protest in Wilkes-Barre, where the Sterling is located. It may not be enough but it is a start. This protest may get the ball rolling as to finding other ways to stop the demolition. Or according to Bertha, in the previous comments, she has something going on on Facebook. If you check out the Wilkes-Barre newspaper, The Times Leader, they have an article that appeared on Tuesday, March 22 that states there will be a protest on Friday March 25. Also in an article on Wednesday, March 23, in the Times Leader, another article states that there will be another protest planned for Saturday, March 26 from 1-5pm.
Maybe this means the word is spreading that most don't want to see the Sterling demolished, and something can be done to help save the hotel! We will see where this is going to go.

Thanks for the info Lisa! I am actually not close but would love to do something to help. I'll check out that info and the Facebook page!

This looks just like that one hotel in Fallout 3.. Creeeeepy!

I,ve lived in valley all my life, and remember being in Sterling with my mother a few times. It was a amazing place, to bad they can,t restore it.

My grandparents lived in Dallas, Pa. My grandmother used to have meals at the Sterling from time to time. I remember hearing about the hotel but I don't remember having been in it. The reason that I found this website is because I was discussing Thanksgiving with my mother, 86 years old. She said that one year -- 1950's, 1960's - my grandmother decided not to invite the family for Thanksgiving dinner. I guess she was just tired of all the work so she went by herself to the Sterling. I think that was her way of telling everyone that it was time someone else took over so it became my mother's responsibility after that. My grandmother said by the way, that the Thanksgiving dinner at the Sterling was very good but she missed the leftovers. Other places I either vaguely remember or remember hearing about from my parents and grandparents: Percy Brown's, St Stephen's Church where I was baptized, Lazarus Dept Store, the Westmoreland Club that my grandfather belonged to, the Black Diamond train ..... The city has changed! A shame about the hotel.....

What a disgrace!!! My family is from there, visited a lot, I lived there for a number of years and moved out about 2001. This Hotel does a great job of representing what Wilkes-Barre USED to be. The Sterling is a masterpiece of art work that came on the heels of the Gilded Age before income tax and at a time when business & industry was booming; not like today...no matter what the media says. I mean when the US WAS special. The Sterling is done in the same vane as the Boston Park Plaza, The Plaza in NYC, Waldorf, and The Bellvue. To lose it, in my opinion is the LAST nail in the coffin for the Wyoming Valley. Ironically the valley, since the death of the coal industry, has become known as the place that enters a recession first & exits it last. Third largest economy in the state (distant third) and there's absolutely NO industry to speak of but then again that's not so unusual nowadays. Sorry for the negativity but it's like watching your Dad get beat up or Babe Ruth get out done by one of the steroid charged athletes of today. It's pitiful a block away from the Sterling the McDonald's couldn't even stay open.

Responding to the previous post (Chris). Percy Brown's--my grandfather used to get fresh Italian bread and clam chowder; I heard it was the best. The Westmoreland Club is still there. The only place on earth to get authentic "Old Forge" Style pizza; if you never heard of it, you don't know what your missing. Just imagine Italian & Polish immigrants making pizza. Little known fact is that Planter's Peanuts was founded in W-B. Luzerne, Economy, Shavertown, & Plains Lumber Co's. Most gone but had previously been around for eon's. The one good thing is that they managed to hold on to Pomeroy's & the Paramount Theater...I think. Well, I guess it could be worse, we could be talking about Detroit, MI or Camden, NJ

I can see the beauty here can you imagine the people who visted and stayed here?

Amazing Motts!! just amazing . if i was homeless, id be camping in that lobby

Minneapolis, MN had a beautiful building called the Metropolitan. They tore it down in the 60's as they did to many of MPLS fabulous buildings. Parts of the Metropolitan were recently found partially buried in an old quarry area. The original public library was a Richardsonian Romanesque design. They tore than down too, in the name of progress. No protesters back then. Nobody cared. Just like my grandma thinking her antique furniture was ugly and old. It is so sad. These buildings were built to last, but nobody wants them anymore. At least let the salvagers in to take the pretty stuff!

Very sad to know cityvest robbed any potential left in the old building. Today looks nothing like any of these pictures inside, its an empty, dark, wet shell that is going to fall down. The only marble that is left are the beautiful 2 story tall pillars and even their days are numbered. THIS IS A JOKE ALREADY WE NEED TO kick cityvest out. The people should be in charge - obviously THE PEOPLE care more about this historical place then cityvest -who only cares about the depth of their own pockets!

It is just weird to see the building like this. The Citizens Voice used to have their business out of there, believe it was their office staff. When I delivered Newspapers, the Old way, I used to have to go down there with my mom to pay them every week. That was 1979, The lobby was beautiful, wish I was more into history then, woul dhave like to look around there more.