The building
History
A framework for telling the story, one documented detail at a time.
This account draws on the sources linked below. Unresolved details remain labeled as research pending; reported plans are not evidence of what was ultimately built.
Documented in reporting · details pending
Origins & construction
Central Penn Business Journal reports that Senate Plaza was built in 1974 for Pennsylvania Blue Shield. Its 2017 account describes six stories, about 230,000 square feet and a 16-acre site off Erford Road near the Camp Hill Bypass. CPBJ, January 20, 2017.
The building stood in East Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County. abc27, May 27, 2017.
Research pending: confirm the exact opening date, original floor count, headquarters designation, street address and parcel using original records. The architect, contractor, cost and groundbreaking date remain unknown here. The reported 1974 construction year does not establish all of those details.
Documented in reporting · tenant history incomplete
Working life
Pennsylvania Blue Shield and Blue Cross of Western Pennsylvania consolidated to form Highmark in 1996. Highmark, Our Story.
Highmark left Senate Plaza in 2013 to reduce property costs and consolidate operations. CPBJ connects that departure with default and bank ownership, but does not establish a complete vacancy or ownership chronology. CPBJ, January 20, 2017.
Leng Wei, a barber shop owner across the street, recalled Highmark employees coming over for lunch and haircuts. This is a personal recollection recorded before the implosion. abc27, May 23, 2017.
Research pending: establish the full tenant and ownership history, including the proposed Commerce Bank / Metro Bank / First National Bank connection. The cited material does not verify the 1939 Medical Service Association of Pennsylvania origin claim. Vacancy duration is unresolved: CPBJ dates Highmark’s departure to 2013, while abc27’s May 23, 2017 report describes abandonment two years earlier. Neither establishes uninterrupted vacancy.
Research pending
Changes to the building
TODO: Document additions, renovations and changes to the site. Compare dated photographs and plans.
Implosion confirmed · later development pending
Demolition & afterward
Triple Crown Corporation and J.C. Bar Properties acquired the property in summer 2016. By January 2017, demolition and redevelopment were planned after efforts to secure a replacement occupant. Triple Crown CEO Mark DiSanto described unsuccessful hopes for state or hospital reuse. CPBJ, January 20, 2017.
The January proposal included Sheetz, a hotel of about 100 rooms and roughly 35,000 square feet of additional retail. Medical offices, a smaller grocery and senior living were possibilities, not confirmed outcomes. CPBJ, January 20, 2017.
Before the implosion, abc27 described public viewing on the Chapel Hill United Church lawn at Erford and Poplar Church roads, with nearby road closures including Senate and House avenues. abc27, May 23, 2017.
Senate Plaza was imploded on Saturday, May 27, 2017, at 7:30 a.m. The same morning’s report confirms that the blasts occurred on schedule and the building collapsed seconds later. Earlier demolition work had begun in March. abc27, May 27, 2017.
Research pending: document the subsequent redevelopment described in research leads as Camp Hill Commons. Confirm completed uses, tenants, apartment counts, retail area and hotel size from dated records. The January 2017 proposal must not be presented as the finished development.