Two former printing press sites in Pennsylvania have been acquired and are set to be redeveloped into data centers.
Machine Investment Group and its affiliates this week announced the purchase of two former LSC Communications industrial facilities in Lancaster.
The two separate locations, totaling more than two million square feet (185,806 sqm) across 144 acres in Lancaster County, will be redeveloped into data centers focused on artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
Terms of the deal weren’t shared. Details on the planned specifications or development timelines of the data centers weren’t shared.
“At Machine we excel in identifying legacy industrial & manufacturing assets that can be repositioned to better reflect current commercial demand,” said Eric Rosenthal, co-founder of Machine Investment Group. “Through this acquisition and transformation, we will be establishing Lancaster as a technological hub to meet the increasing demand for the exponential growth in technology that is happening worldwide.”
The sites, located at 216 Greenfield Road and 1375 Harrisburg Pike, have been dormant since 2023. Around 600 people worked at the sites when they were closed. In operation since the 1960s, the facilities printed catalogs, magazines, and phone books.
The 216 Greenfield Road site totals 78 acres across two contiguous parcels and consists of 1.1 million square feet (102,193 sqm) of industrial and manufacturing building spaces. The 1375 Harrisburg Pike property sits on 66 acres, also across two contiguous parcels with an 825,000-square-foot (76,645 sqm) industrial and manufacturing building. The concept plans for each site include campus-style layouts that will include data center space targeted towards hyperscalers and AI platforms.
“When we made the difficult decision to cease printing operations in Lancaster, we were very clear as to what our focus would be: supporting our dedicated team members in their career transitions and honoring the legacy of these properties in writing their next chapter,” said Stephanie Mains, CEO of LSC Communications MCL. “These sites were known for best-in-class printing and the delivery of information to people around the world. By choosing Machine, we’re passing the baton to a team uniquely positioned to build upon that legacy, creating cutting-edge data centers to process and deliver the information of the future.”
Machine Investment Group is a real estate investment platform focused on investing in opportunistic and distressed assets across the US.
The company is also redeveloping Merck’s former New Jersey headquarters into the Northeast Science and Technology Center [NEST] – a new technology campus where CoreWeave is developing a data center.
“This announcement is a win for Lancaster. Redevelopment of these sites has been a priority since the day we learned printing operations would cease at these facilities. The future use establishes Lancaster as a destination for innovation, job creation, and capital investment in technology,” said Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace. “LSC had a proud history in our community; a history that so many of our residents were part of creating. We are excited to support the transformation of these iconic properties into locations that will propel Lancaster into the future.”
LSC Communications is an American commercial printing company based in Chicago, Illinois, and one of the largest book producers in the US. It was spun out from RR Donnelley in 2016 but acquired by Atlas Holdings after declaring bankruptcy in 2020. RR Donnelley’s former HQ in Chicago is the Digital Realty-owned 350 E Cermak carrier hotel.
Truck and truck part manufacturer PACCAR was previously interested in turning the Harrisburg site into a distribution center around October 2023, but the plans never materialized.
