Northampton County hands off Wolf building to developer

Northampton County's sale of the Governor Wolf Building to Easton developer Mark Mulligan closed Wednesday.

The hand-off comes two months after employees moved out of the former school building in Easton and into their new headquarters in Bethlehem Township.

Construction to convert the old schoolhouse-turned-government building into 50 high-end apartments will begin May 27, Mulligan said Thursday.

"We're really excited," he said. "The county's been a great partner in the sale and we're looking forward to redeveloping the building."

County officials agreed to sell it last year, saying it was ill-suited as an office building, especially one that caters to veterans and young families.

The building on North Second Street rests atop a hill with rear views of the Delaware River. Out front stands the modest penny arch, a 125-year-old reminder of the children who gave life to a building that was adapted for elementary, middle and high school students.

The new rental units will help meet the city's rising demand, Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. has said, picturing young people living in $1,000-a-month apartments and walking their disposable incomes west to Centre Square.

"This building is a landmark," Panto has said. "It gives you a sense of time and place."

The Governor Wolf Building, along with a host of other Lehigh Valley urban redevelopment projects, in December was awarded a key tax incentive meant to encourage developers to take on difficult properties.

The Keystone Opportunity Expansion Zone designation exempts developers and future tenants from many state and local taxes.

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Northampton County hands off Wolf building to developer