Concrete City

In Nanticoke, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, Concrete City stands as a ghostly remnant of early 20th-century company housing. The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad built the complex in 1911 to house select employees of its coal division, and the development earned a place in architectural history as an early American example of International Style design.

Today the site is an abandoned shell — roofless concrete structures slowly being reclaimed by vegetation. Visitors come to walk among the ruins, photograph the stark geometric forms, and reflect on the lives of the workers who once called the place home.

Access is relatively straightforward as the ruins sit within a semi-rural area of Luzerne County. Summer and early fall offer the most comfortable conditions for exploring the grounds, while winter months can make the site muddy, overgrown, or difficult to navigate safely.