{"nrhp_refnum":"75001619","name":"Baker Mansion","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"3500 Baker Blvd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Altoona","county":"Blair County","state":"PA","lat":40.490603262000036,"lon":-78.40795708299999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1975-06-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story Greek Revival mansion of dressed stone in Altoona, Blair County, Pennsylvania, built between 1844 and 1848 for the Elias Baker family. It is now a museum and the home of the Blair County Historical Society.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the mansion is significant for its architecture, as one of the most impressive surviving Greek Revival buildings in Central Pennsylvania. It also cites its unusual use of cast iron furnace-made door and window frames and column sections for rural Pennsylvania in 1844, and its lead-strip masonry joints. Its location near the Pennsylvania Canal and portage railroad is presented as reflecting the region's transportation development.","narrative":"Built between 1844 and 1848 for the Elias Baker family, the three-story Baker Mansion is a dressed-stone Greek Revival house in Altoona, Blair County. Its south front has six fluted Ionic columns rising to the entablature, and its north rear has six square columns with a second-floor balcony. The cast iron used for the capitals, bases, lower column sections, and all window and door frames was cast at Baker's Allegheny Iron Furnace, which was unusual for rural Pennsylvania at the time. Lead strips seal the exterior masonry joints, another uncommon technique. The house was built after Elias Baker bought out his partner's share of the furnace, and its materials were brought from distant sources, including roofing slate from York County and copper from Baltimore. The mansion is regarded as one of the most impressive surviving Greek Revival buildings in Central Pennsylvania. It now serves as a museum and the home of the Blair County Historical Society.","period_of_significance":"1844-1848","architect_builder":"Robert Carey Long Jr. (original architect, dismissed before completion); Charles Callahan (contractor, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania)","architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Unaltered, original site; now a museum and home of the Blair County Historical Society","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:29.003278-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/75001619.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001619/8074f4d261-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001619/8074f4d261-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Pubdog","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baker_Mansion_Apr_12.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Pubdog</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baker_Mansion_Apr_12.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71994503","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_Mansion","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4849176"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/blair-county/baker-mansion-75001619/"}