“After years of vacancy and dilapidation, this property posed quite the exciting challenge…”
Ben King, along with his brothers Levi & Chris and Ben Stoltzfus – owners of Quarry View Building Group, had the vision to transform a historic farmstead facing ruin into a workspace for their team. The quality craftsmanship & dedication to preservation demonstrated on our campus project was recognized by the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County. Quarry View’s campus was nominated by East Lampeter Township for the C. Emlen Urban Awards. These awards, “recognize people and projects for their efforts in preserving significant historic sites in Lancaster County” (source: https://hptrust.org/2024-c-emlen-urban-award-winners/).

But how did we get here?

It All Started With Entrepreneur Esbenshade
About a century ago, Joseph H. Esbenshade was a well-known entrepreneur among Lancaster County locals. He served on the board of directors for the bank and had a hand in the development of the railroad. Esbenshade also owned the property that now serves as our campus.

Circa 1885, Esbenshade commissioned the construction of the two and a half-story brick farmhouse. In 1911, as a reporter from Philadelphia explained, Esbenshade pulled the community together for an “old-fashioned” barn raising, in which the bank barn was erected. He rented the farmstead out to his sister & her family to farm.

Fast Forward Through History
As time went on, the farmstead shifted from Joseph H. Esbenshade to different families in the community. The land was farmed, cattle were raised, and additions were added to the buildings. As Lincoln Highway grew busier and louder, the farmstead became less suitable for its original purpose and the last farming family moved away. Enticing no new caretakers, the property sat vacant for about 10 years.

With the level of damage and neglect done to the property over time, the effort and budget required to restore the farmhouse, barn, and in-law quarters became quite expensive and required extensive expertise. For the community, the property became a sad sight to see. The excellent buildings that the prominent entrepreneur Esbenshade had once carefully crafted were now ridden with rodents, water damaged and abandoned. It became quite the heart-breaking eye-sore as a piece of Esbenshade’s legacy was fading into oblivion.

Along Came A Second Entrepreneur
As Ben King, President & Co-Founder of Quarry View, considered the idea of adaptively reusing the farmstead to create a space for his team, he felt, “After years of vacancy and dilapidation, this property posed quite the exciting challenge”.

Quarry View serves commercial, hospitality, equestrian, restoration & adaptive reuse, mass timer & heavy timber, and PHIUS building markets. We provide preconstruction, construction management, general contracting, and design-build services. Business was booming and the team was out-growing the old rented warehouse & office space so the owners began to look for a new location for the team.

Our team worked hard to secure the historic farmstead as our own and the vision grew larger than just providing a quality workspace. Ben shares:

“For me, this property serves multiple significant purposes. Firstly, it stands as a testament to our excellence in construction and preservation. We pride ourselves on finding creative solutions for challenging properties, demonstrating that landmarks of Lancaster County history can be preserved and revitalized rather than demolished.

Moreover, this property has provided us with the unique opportunity to honor the legacy of an impactful entrepreneur who came before us. By sharing Esbenshade’s story, we aim to inspire the next generation to continue preserving and celebrating Lancaster County’s rich legacies and history. Through our work, we hope to foster a deep appreciation for our heritage and encourage innovative approaches to maintaining and enhancing our historical landmarks for future generations.”

The Vision Moving Forward
Now, visitors are greeted by our gateway property as they enter into Eastern Lancaster County. Quarry View is immensely proud to offer the community and its visitors this beautiful restoration. The quality of the building materials used in this project makes it clear that we did not compromise on quality for the sake of price. Every piece of material that could be restored and reused found new life on our campus. Old barn flooring was meticulously crafted into doors, bricks were carefully repointed, and barn beams were repurposed into support beams for the brick farmhouse.

As guests and clients visit our campus, they witness firsthand what historic and adaptive reuse construction looks like when done exceptionally well. This project serves as a living example of the power of restoration and the immense value of preserving history. It demonstrates that with dedication and creativity, we can honor our past while creating beautiful, functional spaces for the future. People see this project and recognize the true potential of restoration and the importance of maintaining our historical heritage.

A Heartfelt Thank You
Our team is profoundly grateful to East Lampeter Township for nominating our campus for the prestigious C. Emlen Urban Award. We are equally thankful to the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County for deeming us worthy recipients of the C. Emlen Urban Adaptive Reuse Award.

This project’s success is the result of the hard work and dedication of many key individuals. We extend our deepest thanks to the community for their unwavering support and to all the professionals who made this achievement possible. A special shout-out goes to Gregg Scott, whose constant encouragement to think outside the box propelled us to new heights.

Thank you all for being an integral part of this remarkable journey.

Connect With Us
If you’re interested in working with our team, or touring our adaptive reuse farmstead, please reach out to: info@quarryview.net or call 717-656-3018.

Our adaptive reuse campus is located at:
2603 Lincoln Highway East
Ronks, PA 17572