Luxury housing & hotels: Here’s what to know about State College’s newest high-rises
Anyone who’s visited State College in recent years has likely stopped in their tracks at some point to marvel at the high-rises gracing the once-small town’s skyline.
In recent years, apartment buildings and hotels with more than six stories have increasingly cropped up throughout the borough, pushing development forward as luxury housing becomes more prominent. In fact, most of the latest projects exclusively cater to student housing. Although recent efforts to rewrite local zoning codes may seek to change some aspects of high-rise buildings, heightened development in State College likely isn’t going anywhere.
Whether you’re new to the area or haven’t visited in a long time, here’s an overview of the newest high-rises in Happy Valley over the past decade — including a few older buildings with new uses.
The Metropolitan
Address: 412 W. College Ave.
When it opened: Summer 2017
Sitting on the corner of College Avenue and South Atherton Street, the 146-foot-tall Metropolitan opened in 2017 following a construction delay that pushed back its initial opening set for July 2016. The high-rise took the place of the former State College Arby’s restaurant, plus a few neighboring houses and smaller properties.
The 12-story mixed-use building houses 10 floors of apartments, plus retail spaces for Orangetheory Fitness, Tadashi Japanese Restaurant and KCF Technologies offices on the bottom two stories. On top of amenities like a resident clubhouse and a “resort-style” pool, the Metropolitan boasts more than 500 beds spread throughout 132 individual apartment units.
Fraser Centre
Address: 217 W. Beaver Ave.
When it opened: Fall 2016
The Fraser Centre is home to the 158-room Hyatt Place Hotel, a Federal Taphouse restaurant and a 28,000-square-foot Target complete with a Starbucks and a CVS pharmacy. A ground-floor Planet Fitness is expected to replace an H&M store once it opens later this year. Additionally, the 12-story building’s top four floors house more than two dozen residential condominium units, including four penthouse suites.
The long-planned Fraser Centre occupies the site of a few former parking lots. The complex’s development remains notable after it required State College’s borough council to approve an amendment to allow for additional building height, paving the way for future projects in the area.
Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub Building
Address: 123 S. Burrows St.
When it opened: Fall 2021
Penn State’s Innovation Hub, named after recently retired President Eric Barron, officially opened last year. It replaced the long-standing two-story James Building, which once served as the home for Penn State’s student newspaper and housed offices for the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications.
The six-story, 85,000-square-foot building serves as the downtown home for the university’s Invent Penn State initiative, which Barron launched in 2015. Constructed for $52.8 million, the Innovation Hub offers spaces for students and community members alike to pursue entrepreneurial endeavors, plus virtual reality tools, makerspaces and technology labs.
The Innovation Hub also houses the Happy Valley LaunchBox, which provides resources to local entrepreneurs. In May, university officials estimated LaunchBoxes and the Invent Penn State campaign have supported more than 5,000 entrepreneurs, graduated more than 460 startups from accelerator programs and launched more than 200 new Pennsylvania companies since 2015.
The Standard
Address: 330 W. College Ave.
When it opened: Fall 2021
The newest 12-story mixed-use high-rise in downtown State College, the Standard houses more than 240 residential units between its top 10 floors. Amenities for residents include a pool, hot tubs, golf simulators and an outdoor courtyard. On its website, the Standard bills itself as “ultimate student living.”
Like a few downtown high-rises, the Standard’s lower-level commercial spaces on the corner of College Avenue and South Atherton Street remain vacant.
The Standard’s construction prompted the demolition of a few nearby properties, including a building that formerly housed West College Realty’s office and two red-brick houses. Buildings that once housed California Tortilla, Zola’s Kitchen and Wine Bar and Golden Wok were also demolished.
The Maxxen
Address: 131 Hiester St.
When it opened: Fall 2020
The Maxxen, formerly known as Here State College, sits atop the former Garner Street parking lot in downtown State College. The 12-story mixed-use building houses 230 apartments, plus a public courtyard in its center. Amenities include a spa with a hot tub, sauna and tanning beds, a penthouse sky lounge and a dedicated gaming room.
This student-centered high-rise features empty commercial spaces on its lower levels. An integrated two-story frontage on Beaver Avenue that is separate from the rest of the building will soon house Penn State Hillel’s new Gutterman Center for Jewish Life.
Under its former name, the Maxxen once drew negative attention for opening with two unfinished floors days before Penn State’s fall 2020 classes began.
The Rise
Address: 532 E. College Ave.
When it opened: Fall 2018
The Rise is likely the first high-rise you’ll see if you’re heading to State College from the east. This 12-story mixed-use building says it offers apartments for students who are “double majoring in luxury in style,” according to its website. The Rise’s amenities include an indoor fitness center, plus a yoga room, hot tub and game room.
Following a trend, the Rise’s first two floors are designated for commercial occupants but remain vacant. The top 10 stories offer apartments mostly occupied by students, although some were designated for non-undergraduate residents through a deed restriction.
The Edge
Address: 254 W. Beaver Ave.
When it opened: Fall 2018
Over on the corner of East Beaver Avenue and Locust Lane, the Edge stands as one of the more modest high-rise buildings to grace State College’s skyline in recent years. The seven-story mixed-use building features five floors of apartments, plus office space on its top floor.
Roots Natural Kitchen opened in 2019 on the Edge’s bottom floor. The Whale Tea, a Connecticut-based bubble tea chain, opened a franchise at 262 E. Beaver Ave. in the building’s second commercial space this summer.
Pugh Centre
Address: 150 E. Beaver Ave.
When it opened: August 2020
The seven-story Pugh Centre replaced the former CVS pharmacy on the corner of East Beaver Avenue and South Pugh Street. Its top five floors are filled with apartments, offering amenities such as a fitness center and on-site parking.
The building’s bottom two floors hold about 6,000 square feet of commercial space that remains empty.
Graduate State College
Address: 125 S. Atherton St.
When it opened: Fall 2019
Graduate Hotels purchased the former Atherton Hotel in October 2018 and transformed the downtown property into a nostalgic lodge with a modern twist.
The seven-story, 150-room hotel boasts a ballroom, an executive boardroom, meeting and gathering spaces, a cafe, and a fitness center. The hotel says it can comfortably host events with up to 300 guests.
Last September, the hotel opened a new restaurant and bar. The Trophy Room features American fare with a local twist, including the “Mt. Nittany Quesadilla” and “Atherton Giggle Juice.”
What’s in the works?
While plenty of high-rises have sprung up in downtown State College over the past few years, a few more are on the way. Here’s a look at the area’s latest development projects, including apartment buildings in State College and along West College Avenue.
South Pugh Street
Chicago-based developer Core Spaces is moving forward with a six-story apartment building on South Pugh Street. Following final plan approval in early 2022, crews began preparing the site for development by demolishing the Days Inn Penn State hotel and the attached Brewsky’s Bottle Shop. Neighboring restaurant Mad Mex, which closed in November, was demolished, too.
Construction on the unnamed apartment building is expected to last about two years, potentially setting up a 2024 opening date.
The apartment complex will host at least 160 apartments adding up to nearly 500 bedrooms. Core Spaces will pay the State College borough a fee to counteract the property’s lack of required affordable housing units, although the building is expected to dedicate up to a third of the units to “price-sensitive” apartments with discounted rates.
The property will also feature at least 150 parking spaces spread between its ground level and underground garage. The parking facility will also house charging stations for electric vehicles and more than 150 bicycle spaces.
Amenities for the planned building include a first-floor fitness center, a pool and hot tub and a roof with more than 4,000 square feet of dedicated green space. Unlike other downtown properties, the building is zoned in such a way that it won’t need to set aside retail or office spaces.
Hetzel Street
Another 12-story mixed-use building will hit the State College skyline once crews finish constructing an apartment complex on the corner of East College Avenue and Hetzel Street.
The property, also designed and proposed by Core Spaces, will feature 10 floors of apartments atop two floors of retail and office space. The 151-foot-tall building’s construction required the demolition of a handful of properties along the block, including Eddie’s Bicycles and Hockey Equipment, Pizza Mia and George’s Floral Boutique.
Earlier this year, Core Spaces said the property was on track to open in early 2023. Demolition began in the fall of 2021.
The apartment building will likely feature a fitness center, computer labs, study rooms and potentially a rooftop pool terrace. Plans also called for a 172-space underground parking garage that would include access from Calder Way.
West College Avenue
Over in Ferguson Township, local officials unanimously approved a final land development plan for a six-story student housing complex last year. The six-story 96-unit residential apartment building will include retail and commercial space on the first floor, plus two subsurface floors for more than 150 parking spaces.
Construction on the apartment building, located at the intersection of West College Avenue and Buckhout Street, has forced some temporary closures and traffic adjustments along Calder Way.
An unrelated apartment building, proposed in mid-March, could also make its way to West College Avenue in the coming years.
Submitted plans call for a seven-floor, 107-unit mixed-use building at 1004/1006 W. College Ave. The 75-foot-tall building would house one, two and three-bedroom apartments throughout its top six floors, leaving the ground floor plan for an arcade, lobby and dedicated commercial space. Other amenities in the building would include a pool, hot tubs and a club room.
Plans for the building call for the demolition of the former Nittany Property Management and WTAJ-TV 10 buildings within Ferguson Township’s Terraced Streetscape District. In March, township officials said it would “a while” before plans appeared before the planning commission, noting an approximate timeline would be difficult to estimate.
This story was originally published August 5, 2022 at 12:25 PM.
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