Pittsburgh Central Downtown Historic District (Boundary Increase)

Downtown Pittsburgh's central business district holds this concentration of commercial and institutional buildings, mostly dating from the 1870s through the 1930s. The district includes four churches built between 1870 and 1925 in several Gothic Revival modes, including Trinity Cathedral, whose churchyard holds graves from the late eighteenth century. Banks, department stores, hotels and office towers line Grant Street and nearby avenues. The Frick Building of 1901 was among the first slab skyscrapers in the city, and the Koppers and Gulf Buildings of the 1930s show Art Deco detailing. The William Penn Hotel, Union Arcade and Kaufmann's store are among the notable works. Mellon Bank and the Mellon family's financial history are central to the district's story. Its significance rests on the density and variety of these buildings, many of them designed by nationally known architects, and on their role in Pittsburgh's growth into a major industrial city.