A historic building in downtown Altoona is getting new life as a food court and luxury apartment complex. It’s one of several ongoing projects to revitalize the downtown area.
The McCrory’s building, a former department store, sits on 11th Avenue in downtown Altoona.
“This building has been abandoned since 1989," said Christopher Cook, the developer for the McCrory Apartments. "So it's literally just sat empty for 30 plus years now.”
The Center City Market in the building will feature seven vendors, including restaurants, a winery and a grocery store.
Cook, an Altoona native, said he wanted to spark life in the area.
“I think this will be huge for the community because we do not have anything like this in this downtown neighborhood," Cook said. "There used to be lots of eateries as we went up and down this corridor, and now there is only a handful, and all of them have been recently opened.”
The overall cost of the project is about $2.5 million. Cook said he took out loans to cover most of the cost.
The Center City Market’s grand opening will be Tuesday, April 15, but several businesses will have soft launch dates in early April.
