Uptown Somerset Historic District
Why it's listed
Centred on the Somerset County Courthouse at the top of a hill in the Borough of Somerset, Pennsylvania, this district holds 177 contributing properties, including Union Cemetery and the Soldiers Monument. The courthouse, a Classical Revival limestone building completed in 1907 by J.C. Fulton of Uniontown, anchors an intersection flanked by two bank buildings: the 1906 Somerset Trust Company and the 1922 First National Bank, both Classical or Italian Renaissance in style. Most buildings date from after the 1876 fire that destroyed much of the commercial section south of Union Street. Its Italianate, Queen Anne, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival and Colonial Revival houses and churches show the town's growth from the early nineteenth century to the mid twentieth. The district is listed for its architecture and for its association with county government and banking, which grew with the coal and transportation industries. Its commercial and residential areas remain largely intact, although some sites along West Main Street were lost to new construction and parking lots.
Significance in brief: The district contains a concentration of the borough's most historically and architecturally significant buildings, reflecting the community's development from the early nineteenth century to the mid twentieth century. Its high style buildings from the mid-nineteenth to early twentieth century, along with a few early vernacular examples, contribute to its architectural significance. It is also associated with county government and commerce, including banking tied to the coal and transportation industries.
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 95001254, listed November 7, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by N. Kimbery, Main, Columbia, and W. Catherine Sts., Somerset |
|---|---|
| County | Somerset County |
| Listed | November 7, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95001254 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | ca. 1825-1945 |
| Architect / builder | Purcell & Fry (St. Paul's United Church of Christ); E.H. Walker (George R. Scull House); J. C. Fulton (Somerset County Courthouse) |
| Architectural style | Italianate; Classical Revival; Queen Anne; Colonial Revival; Craftsman; Bungalow; Greek Revival; Gothic Revival; Italian Renaissance |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Most commercial first-floor facades have been modernised, while upper stories retain historic character; several buildings have been converted to offices or businesses. |
| Acreage | 56 |
| Coordinates | 40.00858, -79.07893 (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 95001254.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7899449
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.