Bloomsburg Historic District
Why it's listed
Bloomsburg is a town of about 700 structures on the northern bank of the Susquehanna River, laid out on a grid with Main Street as its axis. Its commercial blocks, brick and frame residences, and institutional buildings, including the courthouse and St. Paul's Episcopal Church, show a range of styles from Italianate to Colonial Revival. The town was founded in 1804 by Ludwig Eyer, and it grew after the North Branch of the Pennsylvania Canal was completed in 1831 and iron furnaces opened at Irondale in 1844 and Bloom in 1852. Workers' houses and more elaborate Victorian homes built for local managers survive side by side. The district is regarded as significant for its architecture and its record of industrial and commercial growth. Only about six percent of its buildings are intrusive, and alterations such as aluminum siding are generally reversible.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues that Bloomsburg has been an important industrial, commercial and educational center in the region for well over a century, and that its varied architecture reflects that growth. It cites the town's early transportation links (canal, railroads, river), the iron furnaces of the mid-nineteenth century, and a diversity of styles and building types that the district retains with limited intrusions.
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 83002229, listed September 8, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Penn, 5th, West, Willow, Millville and Light Sts., Bloomsburg |
|---|---|
| County | Columbia County |
| Listed | September 8, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83002229 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1772-1899 |
| Architectural style | Italianate, Victorian, Queen Anne, Eclectic Victorian, Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Commerce, Transportation, Education, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Most structures are contributing; a few residences on William Street are marked vacant and some mobile homes are slated for demolition. |
| Acreage | 158 |
| Coordinates | 41.00522, -76.46498 (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 83002229.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4928374
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.