Douglas, John S., House
Also known as: Dolfi Funeral Home
Why it's listed
Built in 1901 on North Gallatin Avenue in Uniontown, this two-and-a-half-story brick house combines Richardsonian Romanesque massing with Chateauesque detail. Its wraparound porch rests on brick columns, a carved-lion entrance stair leads to a convex three-sided bay, and a round turret marks one corner. The interior is noted for its front rooms, including a center hall finished in fiddleback maple, a circular staircase, and parlors with art nouveau plasterwork and mantelpieces. John S. Douglas, a realtor and civic leader, had the house built during Uniontown's peak building year and was active in coal land deals in Pennsylvania and West Virginia during the Klondike boom. Later owners altered the roof, dormers and carriage house, and a 1967 rear addition was made when the house became a funeral home. The house is regarded as one of the few surviving examples of this boom-era residential architecture in the city.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is significant for its interior and exterior architecture, including intact front-room woodwork, plasterwork and a circular staircase, and for its association with John S. Douglas, a Uniontown realtor and civic leader who was active in coal land deals during the Klondike coal boom. It also notes the house was built during the peak year of Uniontown's building boom and is one of few surviving houses from that period.
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 94000006, listed February 4, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 136 N. Gallatin Ave., Uniontown |
|---|---|
| County | Fayette County |
| Listed | February 4, 1994 |
| Reference number | 94000006 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1901-1917 |
| Architectural style | Richardsonian Romanesque with Chateauesque elements |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Now part of a funeral home; a 1967 rear addition was built by a later funeral director. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.90468, -79.72277 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 94000006.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6256233
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.