Firstside Historic District
The National Park Service has not published a boundary polygon for this district; the map shows the listed properties inside it and the district's reference point.
Why it's listed
Along the north bank of the Monongahela River in downtown Pittsburgh, a row of twelve mostly three- to five-story brick warehouses was built between 1845 and 1914 to serve the Monongahela Wharf, the city's main commercial waterfront. Reconstruction after a fire in 1845 produced many of the early buildings, and their facades stand in one plane. The styles range from Greek Revival at 211 Fort Pitt Boulevard to Italianate at 213-233, Queen Anne at 239-249, and Richardsonian Romanesque at 243-245 and the seven-story Conestoga Building at 1-7 Wood Street, designed by Longfellow, Alden & Harlow and built in 1892 by G. A. Cochran. The buildings housed commission merchants, manufacturers and wholesalers who depended on steamboat freight. Their warehouse architecture is considered intact and representative of mid-nineteenth to early twentieth century Pittsburgh. Two later-altered buildings are excluded from the historic count. The district was listed for its commercial role on the river and for this architectural record.
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 | 1845 - 1938 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Richardsonian Romanesque |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Acreage | 1.6 |
| Boundary source | not published |
| Full listing page | Firstside 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.