Cement City Historic District

Cement City Historic District
Location Roughly, Chestnut and Walnut Sts. from Modisette Ave. to Bertha Ave. and along Ida and Bertha Sts., Donora, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 40°10′15″N 79°51′56″W / 40.17083°N 79.86556°W / 40.17083; -79.86556Coordinates: 40°10′15″N 79°51′56″W / 40.17083°N 79.86556°W / 40.17083; -79.86556
Area 8.8 acres (3.6 ha)
Built 1916
Architect Lambie Concrete House Corporation; Aberthaw Construction
Architectural style Prairie School
NRHP Reference # 96000023[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP February 16, 1996
Designated PHMC October 04, 1997[2]

Cement City Historic District is a historic district in Donora, Pennsylvania. The district includes 80 Prairie School concrete residences built in 1916-17. The homes served as housing for employees of the American Steel and Wire Company. Poured-in-place concrete houses had become popular in large-scale housing developments at the time, partly thanks to promotion by Thomas Edison; the homes built in Donora used a newly patented construction method from the Lambie Concrete House Corporation. Building the houses required a combined 10,000 barrels of Portland cement.[3]

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.[1] In 1997, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission installed a historical marker on McKean Ave. (Pa. 837) in South Donora, noting the historic importance of the community.[2] It is designated as a historic district by the Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation.[4] Many of the original cement homes are still standing today, and currently serve as private residences.

References

  1. 1 2 Staff (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 "Cement City - PHMC Historical Markers". Historical Marker Database. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  3. Piper, Clinton E. (September 1995). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Cement City Historic District" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  4. "Cement City Historic District". Landmark Registry - Historic District. Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation. 2008. Retrieved 2010-11-08.

External links

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