Broad Avenue Historic District
Why it's listed
Eight blocks of Broad Avenue on the southeast side of Altoona form a mostly residential district of houses built mainly between 1880 and the early twentieth century. Streetcar service, begun in 1882, made the avenue a sought-after address for merchants, professionals and railroad executives. Its architecture is varied, with Colonial Revival, Italianate and Queen Anne houses predominating, along with Dutch Colonial, Richardsonian Romanesque and Late Gothic Revival examples. The Beezer Brothers, who opened an office in Altoona in 1892, designed many of the larger houses, including the paired mirror-image residences at 2500 and 2502 Broad Avenue. Attorney Edward H. Flick developed a stretch between 24th and 26th Streets with high-style townhouses. The district is valued for its concentration of well-preserved houses and churches that document the city's residential growth.
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 | 1880-1930 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Colonial Revival; Italianate; Queen Anne |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Acreage | 30 |
| Boundary source | NPS cultural-resource GIS polygon |
| Full listing page | Broad Avenue 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.