HAZLETON -- Lackawanna College's Hazleton Center has new digs on East Broad Street in Hazleton.
The center's new building used to be a bank. It only took about six months to renovate the inside. The building is about 14,000 square feet.
"It's such an upgrade from where we were before. I loved that building. I love the school, but just seeing this come to fruition is amazing. It's modern. It's amazing. It's super cool," said student Roselyn Ibarronzo.
The new building is just down the street from the old one and students say they're happy to have more space.
"This place is real roomy. We have multiple floors, so I think it will be better for us, beneficial. We'll learn more," said Tim McCue.
"It's just going to help us out a lot with doing work, with doing research, with even coming here to feel safe to work on finals even," Ibarronzo added.
After about 10 years in the previous building, faculty said it was time for an upgrade.
"Hazleton is growing. In a lot of the different areas in northeastern Pennsylvania, the population is going down. That's not the case in Hazleton. Hazleton's population is growing," said center director April Harris.
The building has eight classrooms, a space for health care training classes, and for police academy training.
One of the cadets actually joined the college after he spent time working construction on the new building.
"I was part of Corpex Contracting and we built this place," said Aaron Koehler. "It made me realize I should come here."
Students and faculty say the new space gives them even more pride in their school.
"It's a space that I think mirrors the commitment that Lackawanna has for its community and for its students. This is a perfect representation of what Lackawanna is about," said Harris.
The college is hosting an open house on January 13 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.