McKeesport National Bank
Why it's listed
Built between 1889 and 1891 at the corner of Fifth and Sinclair Streets in McKeesport, this five-and-a-half-story bank has narrow Pompeiian brick walls, rusticated ashlar quoins and a dormered hipped roof. It was designed by the Pittsburgh and Boston firm Longfellow, Alden and Harlow, though the extent of their involvement in the final design is not fully documented. Daniel Stratton held the construction contract, and the building was modified in 1889 to add an additional story. The Sinclair Street facade is its most elaborate, with a rock-faced ashlar ground story, arcaded upper floors and triads of round-arched windows on the fifth story. The main banking room is faced in marble and centers on an original fully automatic steel vault made by the McKeesport Safe Deposit Company. That vault is one of only four the company made and one of two surviving today. The bank was founded in 1887 as the Shoe and Leather Bank, with Andrew Mellon among its first directors and James Evans as its first president. The building is regarded as a transitional work that combines Richardsonian medievalism with Classical detailing.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is the work of the Pittsburgh and Boston firm Longfellow, Alden and Harlow and is a transitional design combining H. H. Richardson's medievalism with Classical Italian Renaissance detailing. It also holds an original steel vault from the McKeesport Safe Deposit Company, one of two of its kind still in existence. It is described as the architectural focal point of the downtown redevelopment area.
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 80003403, listed August 29, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 5th and Sinclair Sts., McKeesport |
|---|---|
| County | Allegheny County |
| Listed | August 29, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003403 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1889-1891 |
| Architect / builder | Longfellow, Alden & Harlow (architects); Daniel Stratton (contractor) |
| Architectural style | Richardsonian Romanesque transitional with Classical Italian Renaissance detailing |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Original vault still in use; interior spaces remodeled numerous times since 1910. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 40.35101, -79.86193 (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 80003403.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6801757
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.