{"nrhp_refnum":"00001044","name":"Bradford Downtown Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly bounded by Central Alley, Barbour St., Bushnell St., Howard Place, Davis St., and Boylston St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Bradford","county":"McKean County","state":"PA","lat":41.95619013850006,"lon":-78.65168523985244,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2000-08-31","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Commerce","Industry"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A mixed-use commercial, institutional and residential historic district of about fifty-three acres covering the traditional downtown core of Bradford, the largest municipality in McKean County, Pennsylvania, just south of the New York border.","why_significant":"The district is significant under Criterion A for its association with commerce and industry, reflecting the commercial development of Bradford as a leading northwestern Pennsylvania oil community. It is significant under Criterion C for its locally distinctive examples of styles from the later nineteenth through mid-twentieth century, including Italianate, Gothic Revival, Neo-Classical Revival, Colonial Revival and Art Deco.","narrative":"Bradford's downtown core, centred on Main Street, is a grid of commercial, institutional and residential buildings on roughly fifty-three acres, most built between 1880 and 1930 in brick, with pressed metal storefronts and art glass transoms. The district grew out of the oil boom that began in the 1870s, when the Bradford field became the leading producer in the American petroleum industry and the settlement was elevated to city status in 1879. Fires in 1878, 1880, 1896 and 1897 destroyed large sections of earlier wooden buildings, and local legislation later required masonry construction. The district contains a wide range of period styles, including Italianate, Romanesque Revival, Neo-Classical and Colonial Revival buildings, and an eight-story 1931 hotel. Its association with the oil trade and the architectural range of its buildings account for its listing.","period_of_significance":"c. 1870-1950","architect_builder":"Curtis, Enoch; French, F. C.; Unruh, Edward N.; Hanley, William; Laurie & Smith; Mount, A. P. & Son; Merrick, Frederic; Tuna Manufacturing Company","architectural_style":"Late Victorian/Italianate; Late Victorian/Romanesque Revival; Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals/Colonial Revival; Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals/Neo-Classical Revival; Modern Movement/Art Deco; Mid-19th Century/Gothic Revival; No Style","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":null,"vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:36.389325-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/00001044.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001044/8b69184bd5-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001044/8b69184bd5-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Pubdog (talk)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bradford_Downtown_Historic_District_Jun_09.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Pubdog (talk)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bradford_Downtown_Historic_District_Jun_09.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71993364","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradford_Downtown_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4954657"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/mckean-county/bradford-downtown-historic-district-00001044/"}