Nathan's Department Store
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
Built in 1917 on Main Street across from Johnstown's Central Park, the four-story building has a finished basement, a steel-framed interior of 21 structural bays, maple floors and a flat roof. Its Main Street facade is clad in glazed architectural terra-cotta in a simplified classical design. The store catered first to working-class customers including miners and steelworkers, then attempted in the late 1920s to move upmarket, a effort that failed during the depression. The site was later leased to the S.S. Kresge variety chain, and the building operated as a retail store until the flood of July 20, 1977, after which it has been vacant. The building is regarded as one of the few remaining large examples of glazed terra-cotta work in the Johnstown area. Its upper floors were used as furniture warehouse space in recent years, and the open structural bays remain intact.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building housed one of Johnstown's important department stores in the decade after World War I and survived several economic and disaster events. Its architecture is significant as one of the few remaining large-scale examples of glazed architectural terra-cotta in the Johnstown area, with a simplified classical motif derived from Chicago commercial design of the 1890s.
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 79002178, listed August 10, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 426-432 Main St, Johnstown |
|---|---|
| County | Cambria County |
| Listed | August 10, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79002178 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1917 |
| Architectural style | Simplified classical motif; Chicago-derived commercial style with glazed architectural terra-cotta |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Vacant since the July 1977 flood, with the ground floor damaged in that flood. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Within district | Downtown Johnstown Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.32528, -78.91874 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 79002178.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6968832
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.