{"nrhp_refnum":"84003469","name":"Hotel Sterling","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"343-345 Hamilton St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Allentown","county":"Lehigh County","state":"PA","lat":40.60535734900003,"lon":-75.46154544199999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-05-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story rectangular brick hotel in the First Ward of Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, begun in 1889 and completed in 1890 by Henry A. Trexler.","why_significant":"The building is argued to be significant for its architecture, with an eclectic Victorian Romanesque design, Queen Anne and Eastlake detailing, an elaborate metal cornice, and a high degree of integrity. It is described as the only High Victorian period hotel in Allentown still functioning in its original use. It is also significant in commerce as a hotel and restaurant serving travelers and workers from nearby railroads and local industries.","narrative":"Built in 1889 and 1890 in the First Ward, Allentown's first industrial district, the Sterling Hotel is a three-story rectangular brick building in the Victorian Romanesque style with Queen Anne and Eastlake influences. Brick pilasters divide its facade into three bays beneath a large molded metal cornice of roundheaded arches. The middle bay carries a gabled parapet and a sculpted metal hotel name and date, and stained glass and multi-paned windows appear on every story. Inside, original woodwork includes the bar, backbar, dining partition and a balustrade rising to the third floor, and the molded plaster ceiling survives, though in disrepair. It is regarded as the only High Victorian period hotel in Allentown still operating in its original use. It served railroad passengers from nearby stations and lunchtime workers from local industries, including the Adelaide Silk Mill directly behind it. Its architecture, detailing and high integrity make it one of the city's best late nineteenth-century commercial buildings.","period_of_significance":"1890","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Victorian Romanesque with Queen Anne and Eastlake influences","criteria":[],"status_note":"Exterior altered only slightly, with two doors and the flat wall sign replaced; interior original; still functioning in its original use as a hotel.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:34.273251-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/84003469.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84003469/0d64ba750b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84003469/0d64ba750b-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hotel_Sterling_Allentown_PA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hotel_Sterling_Allentown_PA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71994471","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_Sterling_(Allentown,_Pennsylvania)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15225878"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/lehigh-county/hotel-sterling-84003469/"}