Old Downtown Harrisburg Commercial Historic District
Why it's listed
Facing South Third Street and the north side of Chestnut Street in downtown Harrisburg, this district is built mainly of brick in the latter 19th and early 20th centuries, with most buildings three stories high and structurally joined. Its styling draws on the late Victorian, Mediterranean, Italianate, and Eastlake modes, with bay windows, bracketed cornices in wood and tin, and corbelled brick cornices. The area originated in early 19th century townhouse rows laid out as part of the borough of Harrisburg. After a fire on the west side of South Third Street in 1873, a six-story printing office building was erected in 1875, and low-scaled commercial buildings followed. Lots kept their original frontage widths, so the streetscape remains intimate and varied. Around the 1890s and early 1900s, the buildings housed professional offices and a range of shops, and the district is regarded as the last intact piece of old downtown Harrisburg.
Significance in brief: The district is described as the last remnant of the low-scaled, contiguous commercial development that once characterized downtown Harrisburg. Its buildings form a cohesive streetscape that was absorbed into commercial growth spun off from Market Street after an 1873 fire and the 1875 Old State Printing Office. The nomination also notes its association with local businesses and contractors of the 1890s through 1930s.
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 83002238, listed July 14, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Dewberry, Chestnut, Blackberry, and S. 3rd Sts., Harrisburg |
|---|---|
| County | Dauphin County |
| Listed | July 14, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83002238 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian, Mediterranean, Italianate, and Eastlake styling |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Upper stories principally intact; ground floors altered in places; several buildings recently refurbished, others stabilized but not worked upon; several warehouses and certain upper floors vacant. |
| Acreage | 2.3 |
| Within district | Old Downtown Harrisburg Commercial Historic District (Boundary Increase) |
| Coordinates | 40.26000, -76.87925 (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 83002238.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7083869
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.