Constructed in 1980
The Lycoming Engines Metal Trades Center, a welding and metal trades instructional laboratory, is positioned at the northwest end of a pedestrian mall that runs south from West Third Street through the heart of the campus.
The center is named for a Williamsport-based industry with a world- wide reputation for the quality of its aircraft engines. The company has a nearly century-old partnership with the institution, since its earliest days of operation as Williamsport Technical Institute.
Technical Trades
The company for which the building is named built vehicle engines for World War I and aircraft engines for World War II. Over the years, it has built more than 325,000 piston aircraft engines, powering more than half the world's general aviation fleet.
Today, Penn College is the only authorized training site for service of the Lycoming piston engine. Aircraft owners and operators from around the world attend classes at Penn College's Lumley Aviation Center.
For decades, this facility has served the needs of the region's primary industries, including the natural gas industry, emerging early in the 21st century.
Welding lab
Robotic welder
Plasma cutter
Welding processes have evolved over the last 100 years.
Formerly on this site, at the corner of West Third and Susquehanna Streets, was the Strailey Building, which once housed a variety of Williamsport Area Community College offices and services.
A rededication in 2010 celebrated the expansion of the welding facility.
