The Apartment at South Lake Street

The Apartment is 1,800 square foot, second floor, loft-style living in the historic renovated Breeze Building in North East, Pennsylvania. Located on South Lake Street in the heart of downtown North East, it combines big city living with small town charm. Guests can walk to shops, dine at nearby restaurants, bike to Lake Erie, or take a drive to tour local wineries, art galleries, and more. The Apartment is less than one block from Skunk and Goat Tavern ( (Website hidden by Airbnb) The Apartment was renovated in stages since 1991 by owners Dr. Thomas Mack and Dr. Anne Zaphiris, a husband and wife demolition and remodeling team before it became cool on HGTV. The former flophouse was flipped by them and turned into their "urban-small town" home until they decided to move their family to the country. They want to share their love of restored historic buildings with guests who appreciate loft-style living and the sights and sounds of a charming downtown. Perfectly suited for short term or extended (business) stays while in the North East area. Some history regarding the Breeze Building… Built in 1885 following a devastating fire in 1884 that destroyed the majority of the downtown. Since its rebuilding, the Breeze building (35, 37 and 39 South Lake Street) has always housed a local newspaper. At one time there were three newspapers in circulation in North East. Today, it’s the home of the North East News Journal. Tom purchased the building in 1989 from the Mead Family Publishing Company. While production had ceased years prior to 1989, the paper was still being written in the front office. The remainder of the building had been vacant for years and fallen into disrepair. The following year North East Chiropractic Center relocated to 35 South Lake Street after extensive facade and internal remodeling was completed. Once relocated, Tom was able to spend time on the rest of the building. The remodeling process was slow and dirty! “One of my happiest days was getting running water upstairs. I was so happy to be able to take a shower!” Tom and Anne married in 1994. “We lived in rooms, one at a time. Playing leapfrog while working on one and living in another.” The remodeling took over ten years. In 2003, Aidan was born. Living the apartment life was wonderful but we needed room to roam...and fish. Our current home came on the market and we jumped on the opportunity. Idle for a few years, The Apartment was separated in thirds. The current Apartment is actually ⅔ of the original. McCoy pottery can be seen throughout The Apartment. Anne has an appreciation for the classic American pottery. You will also note glasses, ice cream dishes, parfait glasses and more on the shelves in the kitchen. Anne’s family owned and operated the Ritz Restaurant in Corry from the ‘40’s to the mid 1970’s. Enjoy the throwback dishware.