Bloomsburg Historic District
Why it's listed
Bloomsburg is a town of about 700 structures on the northern bank of the Susquehanna River, laid out on a grid with Main Street as its axis. Its commercial blocks, brick and frame residences, and institutional buildings, including the courthouse and St. Paul's Episcopal Church, show a range of styles from Italianate to Colonial Revival. The town was founded in 1804 by Ludwig Eyer, and it grew after the North Branch of the Pennsylvania Canal was completed in 1831 and iron furnaces opened at Irondale in 1844 and Bloom in 1852. Workers' houses and more elaborate Victorian homes built for local managers survive side by side. The district is regarded as significant for its architecture and its record of industrial and commercial growth. Only about six percent of its buildings are intrusive, and alterations such as aluminum siding are generally reversible.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | 1772-1899 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Italianate, Victorian, Queen Anne, Eclectic Victorian, Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Commerce, Transportation, Education, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Acreage | 158 |
| Boundary source | NPS cultural-resource GIS polygon |
| Full listing page | Bloomsburg Historic District (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.