Commodore Historic District
Why it's listed
Commodore is a coal company town in Green Township, Indiana County, Pennsylvania, planned and built in 1919-20 by the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation, a subsidiary of the New York Central Railroad, to supply coal for the railroad's locomotives. Company engineer Paul Gill laid out the town, which was named for Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt. Most of the houses are uniform, two-bay buildings of buff concrete block made on site, with eighteen brick houses for mine foremen and a few larger houses for bosses. The former company store, bank, doctor's office, school and machine shop also survive. The town had water and sewage systems, electricity and indoor plumbing, which were uncommon in coal patches of the period. Most mine buildings are gone, but the street pattern, housing and setting remain largely intact. The district is significant for its industrial history, its company-town planning and its unusual concrete block architecture, which sets it apart from other coal communities in the region.
Significance in brief: Commodore is a well-preserved example of a planned bituminous coal mining community, with uniform housing, company ownership and a clear hierarchy of housing. It is unusual for its concrete block construction made on site, and for its sewage and water systems, which reflect early 20th-century industrial housing reform. It is significant in industry, community planning and development, and architecture.
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 94001057, listed August 26, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by PA 286, Vanderbilt Ave., Musser St. and Fisher Ave., Green Township, Commodore |
|---|---|
| County | Indiana County |
| Listed | August 26, 1994 |
| Reference number | 94001057 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1919-1943 |
| Architect / builder | Gill, Paul |
| Architectural style | No Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Mixed use: houses, a meeting hall, a post office, a bar and a pizza shop occupy historic buildings; the school is listed as vacant/not in use. Most mining structures no longer survive. |
| Acreage | 36 |
| Coordinates | 40.71547, -78.94374 (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 94001057.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110009977
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.