Latrobe's former G.C. Murphy discount store undergoes renovation, poised for rebirth

A central retail space in downtown Latrobe where shoppers used to head decades ago in search of bargains from G.C. Murphy is primed for a new lease on life, thanks to restoration work completed inside and out by a local nonprofit.

The unusual L-shaped building, with storefronts on Ligonier and Main streets, has been vacant since the Dollar General discount store moved to nearby Depot Street in 2019.

Latrobe Community Revitalization Program purchased the three-story building in January 2023. It has spent the past months sprucing up the exterior, including work on the roof and the brick-and-stone facade, while revealing the structure’s impressive bones — all with the intent of attracting a new first-floor occupant.

“As many properties that we have helped to rehab over the years, this is the first property we’ve ever owned,” said Jarod Trunzo, executive director of the revitalization program.

“When you have a building that’s a core anchor of downtown and the free market is not purchasing it, you have to do something.”

Since the $143,500 purchase, Trunzo said, “it’s been a whirlwind of construction. We’ve had so many skilled contractors here.

“We sealed the whole envelope of the building, from the roof down, and we repointed the mortar on the four corners of the building.”

A new awning now graces each of the two storefronts.

Renovation of the 27,000-square-foot structure revealed steel I-beams that were placed for support in the 1930s.

That’s when a rear section was added to join what previously were two separate buildings: one constructed in 1875 on Ligonier Street, and the other in 1903 on Main Street.

That circa 1936 renovation — estimated to have cost more than $1 million in today’s dollars — allowed the G.C. Murphy store to expand from the Ligonier Street building, which it had occupied since 1924.

The five-and-dime store previously had operated in a succession of Latrobe locations beginning in 1911.

According to research by the Latrobe Area Historical Society, in 1903, the building on Ligonier housed a millinery and dry goods, and shoe stores while the then-new building on Main was home to another shoe store, a drug store and an undertaker.

Although it was pieced together from three parts, the current building is “incredibly strong,” Trunzo said. “That’s why it’s still here.”

The “L” structure wraps around the Quatrini Building — at the corner of Ligonier and Main, where the revitalization program has its office.

A study of past plans for the former Murphy building also revealed it used to have four windows in the wall facing an alley that runs parallel to Main Street.

Those restored windows once again provide supplemental natural light — with an extra glow imparted by new stained glass panes fashioned by Brother Mark Floreanini, an artist in the medium at nearby Saint Vincent Archabbey in Unity.

The custom windows feature fleur-de-lis designs.

The revitalization program restored the store’s original hardwood flooring. Trunzo said that maple and pine wood was well preserved — and he learned why from J.M. Builders owner Jim Mickinak, one of the local men who worked on the renovation and who also was employed at the store as a teenager.

“He said the boss for G.C. Murphy would have him put linseed oil over the hardwoods once a month,” Trunzo said.

The remnant of a blocked-off stairwell on the building’s Ligonier Street side that once led to the basement level has been covered over.

In a feature on the Main Street side dating from the 20th century, Trunzo said, “There’s a slight slope in the floor — and that was intentional — because Main Street is slightly higher than Ligonier Street.”

Trunzo said the restored first floor could be well suited for a restaurant or craft brewery, which are two types of businesses some city council members have suggested could benefit Latrobe.

Latrobe Mayor Eric Bartels said he’s excited about the potential rebirth of the former Murphy’s building and praised the revitalization program’s efforts. But he advised patience as the community awaits the fruition of those efforts.

“I’m always optimistic when these kinds of projects get rolling, but I’ve learned to be patient,” he said. “It is a beautiful building, and it’s in a great location.”

“I’m very happy to see that building get restored,” said Briana Tomack, president and CEO of the Greater Latrobe-Laurel Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce, which has its headquarters on the opposite side of Ligonier Street. “Hopefully, we’ll get a tenant in there that’s going to be an anchor in the community.”

The revitalization group is planning to keep one of the original interior brick walls exposed for an historic touch. Trunzo said sound-dampening material has been added on other surfaces to provide a better atmosphere for conversations inside the space.

There is one existing tenant in the building: a smoke-free billiard hall in the basement that is accessed from Main Street. A new street-level sign has been installed and may raise the profile of the venue, which is open 7 p.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday.

Purchase of the building, first-floor and exterior renovations and utility and insurance costs were supported by $450,000 in funding from the local Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation.

Images from throughout the renovation can be seen at latroberevitalization.org, under the “810 Ligonier St.” heading.

Despite its nonprofit status, Trunzo said the revitalization program has committed to voluntarily pay taxes on the building.

Additional funding will be needed for potential expansion of interior renovations to the two upper stories. Trunzo noted that space could lend itself to apartments with high ceilings.

Trunzo said the revitalization group is keeping all options open for the building, including attracting a tenant or finding an investor who would be a good fit for the community.

Until a more permanent use is established, Trunzo said plans are to open the building’s first floor for some special events. It already hosted some activities last year, during Latrobe’s Holly Jolly holiday festivities and the summertime Mister Rogers Family Days.

“The response has been so positive,” Trunzo said. “The public is excited seeing that something’s happening with this building and that we’re positioning it again as a destination.”