Project Background
At the western edge of Lancaster City, the Long Home opened in 1905 to care for elderly poor women above the age of 45. The facility was established by the will of Henry G. Long, a former judge, and state legislator. The Long Home, also known as the “The Long Asylum,” allowed the residents to grow their vegetables, do their laundry, bake and cook their food, and care for each other as they age. Over the years the 28,500-square-foot structure retained the feel of a genteel hotel featuring long hallways, Victorian-style chairs, and artifacts from the Longs.
Presbyterian Senior Living bought the property in 2008. The home closed in 2012 and remained vacant for a few years. In 2019, Presbyterian Senior Living announced its planning for LongCrest a 52-apartment complex that will incorporate the Long Home. The Witmer Group had the privilege to provide masonry restoration services on the Long Home. The scope of work consisted of repointing brick veneer, removal, and replacement of brick veneer units, repointing decorative limestone, keystone, column bases, and column capitals, repairs to damaged limestone, repointing of ashlar fieldstone veneer, paint removal, cleaning, and more.
LongCrest offers affordable apartment housing for seniors 62 and over, fulfilling the legacy of Judge Long’s estate to serve seniors with limited income from the Lancaster area. It was truly an honor to perform the restoration/preservation work on the original Long Home and continue Henry Long’s legacy for the Lancaster Community.
WATCH “BRINGING HISTORY BACK TO LIFE” the history of the Long Home, and the final project completed by Witmer.
