Greensburg Downtown Historic District (Greensburg, Pennsylvania)

Greensburg Downtown Historic District

Street scene on South Pennsylvania Avenue
Location Roughly bounded by Tunnel St., Main St., Third St. and Harrison Ave., Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 40°18′11″N 79°32′42″W / 40.30306°N 79.54500°W / 40.30306; -79.54500Coordinates: 40°18′11″N 79°32′42″W / 40.30306°N 79.54500°W / 40.30306; -79.54500
Area 21.8 acres (8.8 ha)
Architect Cram, Ralph Adams; Cookman, William H., et al.
Architectural style Italianate, Romanesque, Classical Revival
NRHP Reference # 95000884[1]
Added to NRHP July 21, 1995
Troutman's Department Store (1923)

The Greensburg Downtown Historic District of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, is bounded approximately by Tunnel Street, Main Street, Third Street, and Harrison Avenue.[2] It consists of 62 buildings on 21.8 acres (8.8 ha), with the most notable buildings from the years 1872-1930. The district's oldest structure (1872) is the former Masonic Temple at 132 South Main Street. The Academy Hill Historic District is directly to the north of downtown Greensburg.

Two places which are separately listed on the National Register, the Westmoreland County Courthouse and the Greensburg Railroad Station, are included in the district. The "dominant building" in the district is the courthouse.[1][3]

Downtown Greensburg was once a significant retailing center, serving numerous small communities in central Westmoreland County. Not only was it an important station on the Pennsylvania Railroad, but it was also the headquarters of West Penn Railways, an interurban (long-distance trolley) company serving many small communities to the east and south of Greensburg. The headquarters building of West Penn Railways is still extant at 416 South Main Street, serving as City Hall, although it is outside the boundaries of the historic district. These forms of rail transportation contributed to Greensburg's growth in the pre-automobile era.

Greensburg's largest department store was Troutman's (202-226 South Main Street), the only downtown building to have escalators. Other department stores included Royer's (114 South Main Street), Sears (101 North Main Street), and J. C. Penney (221 South Main Street, in a building previously used by Pollins' Grand Depot department store). All four structures remain standing, converted to other uses. The opening of Greengate Mall in 1965 (now demolished) had a devastating impact on downtown retailing, following the pattern that occurred in numerous communities. However, the presence of the courthouse continues to give purpose to downtown, and a significant number of historic properties remain.

Notable Buildings by Street

Ehalt Street

Ehalt Street was named for Jacob Ehalt (1821–1885),[4] a German immigrant who owned a hotel on Harrison Avenue.

Train Station (1911)

Harrison Avenue

Harrison Avenue was named for William Henry Harrison.

“ Forty rooms without bath $2.00; thirty rooms with bath $2.50; sixty rooms with bath $3.00; twenty rooms with bath $3.50; (with an additional charge of $1.00 for each extra person in the room). Twenty-two rooms with twin beds and bath $6.00; 22 rooms with twin beds and bath at $7 and up per day.[8] ”

Main Street

In order from north to south:

Bank and Trust Building (1896)
Masonic Temple (1872)

Otterman Street

This street was named after Ludwig (or Ludwick) Otterman (originally Ottoman) (1738–1791), an early settler.

Pittsburgh Street

Note that if the streets had been named logically, Pittsburgh Street would have been First Street. There is no First Street in Greensburg.

See also

Gallery

References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ National Register of Historic Places, Historic Districts in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/PA/Westmoreland/districts.html
  3. ↑ Sandra Finley (March 31, 1995). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Greensburg Downtown Historic District" (PDF). Pennsylvania.
  4. ↑ Westmoreland County Genealogy Project (Information for Jacob Ehalt is on the webpage that discusses his son, Charles F. Ehalt)
  5. ↑ Westmoreland Cultural Trust, Greensburg Train Station, http://www.westmorelandculturaltrust.org/greensburg_train.htm
  6. ↑ Library of Congress, "Built in America" database, http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/habs_haer/
  7. ↑ "Greensburg Train Station to get new restaurant". The Tribune-Review (Greensburg, Pennsylvania). Trib Total Media Inc. 2010-04-02. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
  8. 1 2 3 "The Penn Albert of Greensburgh (sic), Pennsylvania: Designed, Built and Furnished by Local People". Hotel Monthly. 31 (360): 52–53. March 1923.
  9. ↑ Westmoreland Cultural Trust, Union Trust Building, http://www.westmorelandculturaltrust.org/union_trust.htm
  10. ↑ Smith, Helene; Swetnam, George (1991) [First published 1976]. A Guidebook to Historic Western Pennsylvania (Revised and enlarged ed.). Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: University of Pittsburgh Press. p. 332. ISBN 0-8229-5424-9.
  11. ↑ Smith, Helene; Swetnam, George (1991) [First published 1976]. A Guidebook to Historic Western Pennsylvania (Revised and enlarged ed.). Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: University of Pittsburgh Press. p. 333. ISBN 0-8229-5424-9.
  12. ↑ Donnelly, Lu; H. David Brumble IV; Franklin Toker (2010). Buildings of Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania. Charlottesville, Virginia: University of Virginia Press. p. 211. ISBN 978-0-8139-2823-4.
  13. ↑ Westmoreland Cultural Trust, Stark/James Building, http://www.westmorelandculturaltrust.org/stark_james.htm
  14. ↑ Smith, Helene; Swetnam, George (1991) [First published 1976]. A Guidebook to Historic Western Pennsylvania (Revised and enlarged ed.). Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: University of Pittsburgh Press. p. 335. ISBN 0-8229-5424-9.

External links

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