Bindley Hardware Company Building
Also known as: Williams,J.A.,Co.
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Along the Pennsylvania Railroad main line in Shadyside, Pittsburgh, stands a three-story brick warehouse completed in 1903 for the Bindley Hardware Company. Albion Bindley, brother of the industrialist John Bindley, designed and built it as a wholesale storage and shipping depot. Its plan follows a regular column grid, with arcaded first-floor brick piers and a bracketed cornice on each of its four facades. Iron girders and brick fire walls divide the interior into quadrants, and loading docks serve both the railroad siding and the street. John Bindley had sought a national hardware combine modeled on the recently formed United States Steel Company; after that effort collapsed in 1902, he organized a regional version based in this building. The warehouse is regarded as the principal surviving monument to that effort and to Pittsburgh's iron and steel era. Its permanent construction and continued use as a hardware warehouse give it a rare survival among the city's industrial buildings.
Significance in brief: The building is tied to John Bindley, a Pittsburgh industrialist who tried to form a national hardware combine and then organized a regional one from this site. It was designed as a wholesale storage and shipping facility with rail and road access, and its permanent construction and imposing brick design are cited as reasons for its survival as an industrial landmark.
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) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 85001748, listed August 8, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 401 Amberson Ave., Pittsburgh |
|---|---|
| County | Allegheny County |
| Listed | August 8, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85001748 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1903 |
| Architect / builder | Albion Bindley (builder/architect) |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied by another hardware dealer, J. A. Williams Co., and remains in its original warehouse use. |
| Acreage | 1.6 |
| Coordinates | 40.45356, -79.94075 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 85001748.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4914028
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.