The Claster Building

The Claster Building. . This building was erected in 1920 for the offices of the Pennsylvania Public Services Commission and was one of the first buildings in downtown Harrisburg intended to be leased for state offices. Originally known as the Claster Building, having been built by local merchant Henry C. Claster, the structure replaced the "footprint" of the earlier Board of Trade Building erected on the same site in the 1890's as Harrisburg further evolved as a major industrial, commercial and financial center in the U.S. mid-Atlantic region. The Harrisburg Board of Trade would ultimately become the Harrisburg Chamber of Commerce, now the Harrisburg Regional Chamber, and was the site of operations of the Harrisburg League of Municipal Improvements which spearheaded the City Beautiful Movement. The Claster Building, renamed the Blackstone Building in the mid 20th Century, was used for a variety of office purposes as well as for the studios with rooftop transmission tower of early radio station WKBO. It was acquired by Dauphin County as an expansion of the County Government Complex in the early 1980's. With many interior and exterior alterations made over the years, the County thoroughly overhauled the building including the reconstruction of previously altered curtain walls and windows to emulate its original 1920 Art Deco-styled appearance. , Left Photo , 1900 view of the Board of Trade Building located on the same site as the Claster Building. , Right Photo , Mid-1920's view of the Claster Building.