Strawberry Square is a

mixed-use Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to some ...

retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...

and

commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

complex located in

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

. It is owned and managed by the Harristown Development Corporation (HDC), a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

History

Strawberry Square is considered a project in the modern urban revitalization of center city Harrisburg. Phase I of this mixed-use facility originally opened in 1978, with of office and retail space overlooking the

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

following the closing and demolition of the Penn-Harris Hotel in 1973. Eleven years after Phase I, HDC completed the $21 million Phase II expansion. This included the restoration of ten 19th and 20th century buildings that are listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

and represent the city's oldest remaining retail establishments. The site was named for the alleyway that traverses the complex's east–west axis, which still exists from Front Street to Third Street in downtown Harrisburg. The portion of Strawberry Alley vacated for the Complex is now a commons area beside the second floor escalators. It was also referred to as the 'Key Block' when the complex was first constructed in the 1970s. Major tenants include

Verizon Verizon Communications Inc., commonly known as Verizon, is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate and a corporate component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is headquartered at 1095 Avenue of the Americas in ...

, the

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Maryl ...

(including the headquarters of the

Pennsylvania Attorney General The Pennsylvania Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It became an elected office in 1980. The current Attorney General is Democrat Josh Shapiro. On August 15, 2016, then-Attorney General Kath ...

Harrisburg University Harrisburg University of Science & Technology, commonly referred to as Harrisburg University (HU), is a private STEM-focused university in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with an additional location in Philadelphia. Founded in 2001 as Harrisburg Polyte ...

, Temple University Harrisburg,

Capital Area School for the Arts The Capital Area School for the Arts (CASA) is a 9th to 12th grade, public charter school located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, USA. The School began as an arts magnet school, which was founded in 2001 as a partnershi ...

, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, and Salomon Smith Barney, Inc. In addition, Strawberry Square houses an array of service retail, upscale fashion shops, jewelers and other specialty stores. More than 40 shops and galleries along with 10 food emporiums are contained in about of retail space. Its

food court A food court (in Asia-Pacific also called food hall or hawker centre) is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dinner. I ...

includes a variety of national and international cuisine. From 1988 until 2022, the

atrium Atrium may refer to: Anatomy * Atrium (heart), an anatomical structure of the heart * Atrium, the genital structure next to the genital aperture in the reproductive system of gastropods * Atrium of the ventricular system of the brain * Pulmona ...

featured a 41-foot tall audio-kinetic sculpture by

George Rhoads George Rhoads (January 27, 1926 – July 9, 2021) was a contemporary American painter, sculptor, and origami master. He was best known for his whimsical audiokinetic sculptures in airports, science museums, shopping malls, children's hospitals, ...

entitled the "Chockablock Clock" which was relocated to

Shippensburg University Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania (Ship or SU) is a public university in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Founded in 1871, it later became the first teachers college in Pennsylvania. ...

to make room for a meeting space. Due to its high name recognition and centralized location, Strawberry Square's atrium has become, in effect, a Harrisburg

town square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true square, geometric square, used for community gathe ...

, hosting hundreds of community, education, and arts groups and events annually. The complex also hosts multiple high-school and college classes.

Educational institutions

Harrisburg University of Science and Technology Harrisburg University of Science & Technology, commonly referred to as Harrisburg University (HU), is a private STEM-focused university in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with an additional location in Philadelphia. Founded in 2001 as Harrisburg Poly ...

Messiah College Messiah University is a private interdenominational evangelical Christian university in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. History The school was founded as Messiah Bible School and Missionary Training Home in 1909 by the Brethren in Christ Church. O ...

*Olewine School of Culinary Arts (

Harrisburg Area Community College , mottoeng = Knowledge Restores Truth , established = 1964, accredited in 1967 , type = Public, Community College , president = John J. "Ski" Sygielski, Ed.D. , city = Harrisburg , state = PA , country = USA , undergrad = 19,000 , admini ...

) *

SciTech High SciTech Campus of Harrisburg High school, located in downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is a regional math and science public school that attracts students from Harrisburg and neighboring school districts. Beginning with the 9th grade, SciTech Ca ...

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

References

External links

* {{coord, 40.2613, -76.8808, region:US-PA_type:landmark, display=title Shopping malls established in 1978 Buildings and structures in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Shopping malls in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Shopping districts and streets in the United States Landmarks in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania