The Scranton House Hotel was established circa 1868 on Lackawanna Ave. where the PA State Office Building is now located. It closed around 1928. In 1859 John & Lewis (Louis ?) Koch had a saloon on the corner of Lackawanna Ave. and Wyoming Ave. After Louis Koch died, his son Victor took over as proprietor. The address was 202-204 Lackawanna Ave. This info was taken from City Directories of the time. Victor Koch built a 27 room mansion, circa 1894, at the corner of Madison Ave. and Mulberry Street. This has been the CHIPAK FUNERAL HOME since 1948. It has 14 bedrooms and from what I could find out the Koch family all lived in the building and worked as clerks, bookkeepers and the like at the hotel on Lackawanna Ave. If anyone else has any information, I would be very interested in hearing form you. Jack Chipak JChipak@aol.com

Picture Postcard History of Lackawanna Co. includes the following. Page 6 -- scene looks east on Lackawanna Ave. from the Wholesale Block. Structure at right is the Scranton House with the Lackawanna Valley House directly across the street. These were two of the City's early hotels. Page 9 -- Lackawanna Ave. looking west from Penn Ave. Tower at center, opposite Franklin Ave. belonged to the Scranton House Hotel, built in 1863-64 by Louis Koch. Doors closed for good in 1930. Some of these postcards are often available on http://www.Ebay.com by writing in "Scranton." JChipak@aol.com wrote: > > The Scranton House Hotel was established circa 1868 on Lackawanna Ave. where > the PA State Office Building is now located. It closed around 1928. > > In 1859 John & Lewis (Louis ?) Koch had a saloon on the corner of Lackawanna > Ave. and Wyoming Ave. After Louis Koch died, his son Victor took over as > proprietor. > > The address was 202-204 Lackawanna Ave. This info was taken from City > Directories of the time. > > Victor Koch built a 27 room mansion, circa 1894, at the corner of Madison > Ave. and Mulberry Street. This has been the CHIPAK FUNERAL HOME since 1948. > It has 14 bedrooms and from what I could find out the Koch family all lived > in the building and worked as clerks, bookkeepers and the like at the hotel > on Lackawanna Ave. > > If anyone else has any information, I would be very interested in hearing > form you.