Lackawanna College's new building starts to take shape in Scranton
SCRANTON - Lackawanna College's newest building taking shape in the 500 block of Wyoming Avenue has already dramatically changed the streetscape there in the past two months but it might not be completed by the start of the fall 2026 semester.
After a groundbreaking in December, the project for a Center for Technology Innovation at 518-520 Wyoming Ave. had foundation work start in spring and now has steel-beam framing and block construction rising on the formerly vacant lot. The college called the CTI project "part of a $10 million investment by Lackawanna College to meet the needs of today's industrial workforce."
When foundation work took place in the spring, the college anticipated completion of the building by Sept. 1. The college website also says the center "will open Summer 2026." Asked on Friday if that was still the expectation, college Vice President for External/Government Affairs and Special Projects Brian Costanzo said, "Our goal is to have the Wyoming Avenue building officially open during the fall semester. We are pleased with the progress to date and are excited to be moving closer to welcoming students into the space."
The center will include a two-story, 17,000-square-foot building and the 6,500-square-foot, two-story former Able Brake building next door.
The new center will house the college's robotics, electric vehicles, advanced vehicle and cybersecurity programs; and it will have labs, classrooms, an auto lab with car lifts and electric vehicle equipment, large labs designed for robotics and automation equipment, and computer labs for the cybersecurity program. The center will offer undergraduate degrees, corporate training and certificates and dual enrollment courses for high school students.
The college used governmental and private dollars to fund the project, including a $1 million donation from Coterra Energy. In return, Coterra received $750,000 in tax credits from the state Department of Community and Economic Development's Neighborhood Assistance Program. The college also received $1 million from the Appalachian Regional Commission's Area Development Program, the largest amount for a project from the program.
Plans changed
A Center for Technology Innovation initially was to go elsewhere in Scranton. In 2022, the college announced plans for a technology center that involved renovating the college's six-story building at 401 Adams Ave.
But the college eventually scrapped that plan because renovating 401 Adams Ave., which was built in 1973, would have been too expensive. That building instead was listed for sale in 2024 and the college pursued new construction in the 500 block of Wyoming Avenue.
In April, the college announced a sale of 401 Adams Ave. to local developer John Basalyga and a partnership with him for a major redevelopment of the underused 401 Adams Ave. building into instructional, mixed-use and residential spaces. This project aims to transform 401 Adams Ave. into a campus "gateway," expand the college's health sciences footprint and revitalize that key intersection with Mulberry Street downtown.
A Basalyga firm called 401 Adams LLC, a sister company of JBAS Realty and its parent, The Basalyga Group, bought 401 Adams Ave. for $1.83 million.
Under a lease agreement and as part of the transaction, 34,000 square feet of space on the second and third floors will be converted into modern instructional space for Lackawanna College's growing health science programs, including nursing, sonography, surgical technology, certified medical assistant and physical therapist assistant programs. They expect that project to be completed in late 2026, allowing for the relocation and expansion of multiple health science programs.
Other developments
Other recent developments for the growing college included:
• Approval in September from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education to open three satellite trade centers, including in Bethlehem in the Lehigh Valley and Chambersburg and Greensburg, in south-central and western Pennsylvania, respectively.
• Completion in June 2025 of a merger with Philadelphia-based Peirce College. Announced jointly in August 2024 by the two institutions, the merger created the largest private, nonprofit open-enrollment college in the state. Open enrollment functions very much like a community college, in not requiring SATs and minimum GPAs for acceptance. Along with giving both colleges increased presence and offerings, the merger into a singular institution also results in Peirce taking Lackawanna College's name this summer.
Long history
Dating to 1894, Lackawanna College evolved with several locations and names over the years. It opened as Scranton Business College and later changed names to Scranton-Lackawanna Business College and then Scranton-Lackawanna College; and in 1957 Lackawanna Junior College; and in 2001 Lackawanna College.
For much of its past, Lackawanna mainly focused on two-year associate degrees. As a business college, its first focus included taking breaker boys out of mines and preparing the young men for the "front office." In subsequent years, the college committed itself to being an affordable option for students, many the first in their families to attend college. It first offered bachelor's degrees in 2017 and has grown to become the largest, open-enrollment, private, nonprofit institution in Pennsylvania, at the undergraduate level.
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