{"nrhp_refnum":"80003482","name":"Seel, William, Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"319 Market St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Harrisburg","county":"Dauphin County","state":"PA","lat":40.26161738400003,"lon":-76.87979726999998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-12-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A narrow four-story, four-bay commercial building of brownstone and brick on Market Street, Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, on a corner lot. It was constructed in 1912-1913 by William Seel, a local merchant.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is one of the few remaining early 20th century brownstone commercial buildings in downtown Harrisburg, many counterparts having been demolished. It is presented as representative of commercial architecture once common in the city, and as having largely kept its integrity while neighboring buildings suffered from urban renewal.","narrative":"Built in 1912-1913 by William Seel, a Harrisburg merchant, this narrow four-story, four-bay commercial building on Market Street, the city's main commercial thoroughfare, is constructed of brownstone and brick. It occupies a corner lot beside a large state office building. Its first-floor c. 1950s enameled metal storefront has been removed, uncovering two arches and the original brownstone, though the original storefront itself no longer survives. Upper windows are large one-over-one sash with single-pane transoms, separated by ornamental recessed panels, and a overhanging cornice rests on corbels and large brackets. Little of the original interior remains beyond fragments of terrazzo flooring and pressed sheet metal ceiling and cornice. Initially the building housed a wine and liquor business. From about 1920 it held a Kinney Shoe store, which stayed until the Market Street commercial district declined in the 1970s. It is valued as one of the few surviving early twentieth-century brownstone commercial buildings downtown, many of its counterparts having been demolished.","period_of_significance":"1912-1913","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":["C"],"status_note":"The original storefront has been removed and the building was purchased by a local law firm that plans to restore the brownstone exterior and rehabilitate the interior.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:33.853398-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/80003482.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80003482/e6e248378a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80003482/e6e248378a-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Pubdog (talk)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Seel_Building_Nov_10.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Pubdog (talk)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Seel_Building_Nov_10.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"84003198","name":"Old Downtown Harrisburg Commercial Historic District (Boundary Increase)","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/old-downtown-harrisburg-commercial-historic-district-boundary-increase-84003198/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71995797","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Seel_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8018253"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/dauphin-county/seel-william-building-80003482/"}