TAMAQUA, Pa. — While it may look like a typical room at the Bischoff Inn on Lafayette Street in Tamaqua, some of the furniture was made at the location 100 years ago when Eric Zizelmann's great-great-grandparents used the building as a furniture factory.
“To have this furniture restored and returned here, there are no words to describe it. It's where it's meant to be, I think,” said Zizelmann.
When the furniture factory closed in 1930, the building was unoccupied.
Now, it has reopened as a bed and breakfast, breathing new life into Tamaqua's historic district.
“Maria saw a vision and was willing to take a leap into investing and redeveloping a vacant, historical industrial building here in Tamaqua, and the results are just astounding,” said Dale Freudenberger, Tamaqua Historic Architectural Review Commission.
Maria Stabio now owns the Bischoff Inn.
“With these spaces, it's just about showing that they're not just dead and gone. They don't need to be knocked down, and they can be enjoyed,” said Stabio.
The Bischoff Inn also gives Tamaqua a place people can stay overnight. Something the borough didn't have before.
“If there is no place to stay overnight, we don't have people exploring this local town,” Stabio added.
Dan Evans with the Tamaqua City Revitalization and Improvement Zone Authority says the area will benefit from this bed and breakfast.
He worked to get state funding to help finish the Bischoff Inn.
“The amount of money that overnight guests, whether they're business or leisure travelers, leave in the local economy. So you get a double hit for not only staying here but the money overall staying here,” he said.
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