Hamnett Historic District

Residential streets of wood-frame and brick houses built largely between 1890 and 1910 make up the Hamnett Historic District in Wilkinsburg, a borough east of Pittsburgh. Most of the roughly 82 resources are two- or two-and-one-half-story houses in the Queen Anne and Colonial Revival styles, with some Classical Revival, Tudor Revival and Arts and Crafts examples. Houses were set back behind front yards and terraced lawns, while apartment and commercial buildings sat near the sidewalk. The district developed after Wilkinsburg's incorporation in 1887 and was built up by about 1930, when construction stopped during the Great Depression. Its buildings were within walking distance of electric streetcar lines that linked the borough with East Liberty, downtown Pittsburgh and the industrial district of East Pittsburgh. The district is regarded as an intact example of a middle-class streetcar suburb of the period. Most of its buildings retain their historic character despite window replacements and other alterations.