Minersville Historic District
Why it's listed
Built along Iron Street and nearby blocks on a hillside west of the Lower Works, Minersville is a working-class neighborhood of 93 buildings, mostly wood-frame houses. Cambria Iron Company began building identical one-and-one-half-story company doubles here in 1881, with further houses added in 1889 by the Hoover and Hughes Contracting Company. Each unit had five rooms, running water and a privy, and rented for $5.40 a month. The neighborhood is also known for its immigrant population, which shifted from northern European to Polish, Ukrainian and Rysyn residents after 1900. Privately built housing, including the 1911 Harrigan-Sturver Building and a ca. 1880 Second Empire house at 159 Iron Street, adds variety. Twenty-eight company houses survive, making it the largest concentration of such housing in Johnstown. The district was listed for its industrial and ethnic associations and its concentration of vernacular architecture.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the district is significant for its association with the Cambria Iron Company's Lower Works and the ethnic heritage of its immigrant population, and as a notable concentration of vernacular dwellings, including company-built housing. It describes Minersville as having the largest concentration of company houses in Johnstown and one of the best preserved in the city.
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 95000522, listed April 27, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly, along Connelly Ave., Honan Ave., Garvey Pl. and Iron St., Johnstown and West Taylor Townships, Johnstown |
|---|---|
| County | Cambria County |
| Listed | April 27, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95000522 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1881-1945 |
| Architect / builder | Hoover and Hughes Contracting Company |
| Architectural style | Vernacular residential; Second Empire |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, European, Industry |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | 92 residences and one fraternal club; 8 noncontributing buildings. |
| Acreage | 13.4 |
| Coordinates | 40.34337, -78.92701 (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 95000522.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18749101
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.