Coraopolis Railroad Station
Why it's listed
Built in 1895 to designs by the Boston firm Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge for the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, this one-story suburban passenger station in Coraopolis is executed in the Romanesque Revival style. Its buff Roman brick walls are trimmed with red sandstone, which emphasizes the round-arched windows, the rustication below the off-set, and the carved details. A two-story tower projects onto the platform side, and a large semicircular arch marks the entrance, balanced by a triple-arch motif on the rear gable. The roof is slate, with bracketed overhangs that repeated the design of the original platform covering. A porte cochere was added on the Mill Street side in 1916. The original interior plan, with its ticket office in the tower and separate waiting rooms, has been altered only slightly. The station is regarded as a notable example of the firm's work in the Pittsburgh area, and of the monumental Romanesque style applied to a small suburban depot.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the station is significant as an example of the architecture of Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge in the Pittsburgh area. It notes the firm's frequent use of Richardsonian Romanesque design and the choice of a monumental style for a small suburban station, which reflects the importance of the P&LE commuter line. The station is one of three similar stations built for the railroad.
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 79002156, listed April 20, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Neville Ave. and Mill St., Coraopolis |
|---|---|
| County | Allegheny County |
| Listed | April 20, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79002156 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1895 |
| Architect / builder | Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge (architect) |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The station is used by an automobile equipment dealer. |
| Acreage | 0.4 |
| Coordinates | 40.51899, -80.16354 (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 79002156.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5169653
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.