Downtown Indiana Historic District
Why it's listed
Downtown Indiana is a commercial and civic district in the borough of Indiana, Pennsylvania, centred on Philadelphia Street between Fifth and Seventh Streets. Its growth followed the designation of the borough as county seat in 1805, and it became the first and largest commercial area in Indiana County. Merchants established hotels, taverns and shops here in the early nineteenth century, and later the Indiana Normal School, opened in 1875, and the coal boom of 1900 to 1930 brought further construction. The district holds a wide range of architectural styles, including Federal, Italianate, Second Empire and Colonial Revival buildings, with many retaining original features. The 1870 Second Empire courthouse, designed by James W. Drum of Punxsutawney, is one of the landmarks. Drum is regarded as the most significant architect of the district for the number and variety of his buildings. The area is considered to have excellent integrity and a large concentration of historic commercial structures in the county.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the district is locally significant in architecture, commerce and government/politics. Indiana Borough was named county seat in 1805, and the district was the first and largest commercial area in Indiana County. It holds a range of architectural styles, including Federal, Italianate, Second Empire and Colonial Revival, and retains many buildings with original features and good integrity.
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 93000366, listed April 29, 1993. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Water, 7th and 6th Sts. and Wayne Ave., Indiana |
|---|---|
| County | Indiana County |
| Listed | April 29, 1993 |
| Reference number | 93000366 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1800-1942 |
| Architect / builder | James W. Drum (architect, Punxsutawney); Herbert Conklin (architect) |
| Architectural style | Federal, Italianate, Second Empire, Colonial Revival, Romanesque Revival, Queen Anne, Art Deco, Art Moderne, Edwardian and others |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The district is described as having excellent integrity, with few non-contributing resources; the old county courthouse was restored by the National Bank of the Commonwealth. |
| Acreage | 39.5 |
| Coordinates | 40.62252, -79.15162 (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 93000366.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5303464
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.