Van Kirk Farm
Why it's listed
Set on rising ground in rural Elizabeth Township, the Van Kirk Farm is a working dairy farm centered on a red brick Greek Revival farmhouse dated to about 1840. The house has a center-hall plan, six-over-six windows and a front portico with four fluted Doric columns, and its interior woodwork, including door surrounds and mantels with attached pilasters, is largely intact. The farm also includes a two-story brick springhouse with brick ventilators, a board and batten house, a frame barn, and a one-room frame building thought to date to about 1875. Land here was owned by Joseph Van Kirk, who acquired 112 acres in 1813 and nearly 300 more by 1823. The farm is considered important because its farmhouse is the county's rare regional example of the style, and because its buildings and rural setting preserve a nineteenth century agricultural landscape that has largely disappeared from Allegheny County.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the farm is one of the county's better examples of a nineteenth century farm with excellent integrity of site. The farmhouse is described as the only surviving Greek Revival farmhouse in Allegheny County, with a fluted Doric portico and symmetrical center-hall plan. The farm is also presented as one of the three most intact nineteenth century farms in the county.
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 86000320, listed February 19, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Round Hill Rd. at Scenery Dr., Elizabeth |
|---|---|
| County | Allegheny County |
| Listed | February 19, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86000320 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | c. 1840 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Working farm with the farmhouse and outbuildings intact; the only non-historic building on the site is a modern metal garage. |
| Acreage | 45 |
| Coordinates | 40.24242, -79.86278 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 86000320.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7913463
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.