Pennsylvania Railroad Station-Latrobe
Also known as: Latrobe Passenger Station
Why it's listed
Built in 1903 along the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad in Latrobe, this one-story station is a rectangular red brick building with limestone and terra cotta trim. Its eclectic Victorian design includes a gable that cuts across the roofline above the main waiting room, a pediment with stone finials and terra cotta volutes, and dormers with polychrome hoods. The waiting room has a walnut panelled ceiling, and the baggage and women's waiting rooms have yellow pine woodwork. Two 120-foot passenger shelters with iron posts and steel cross beams stand on elevated platforms that were built with the line's elevation. Between 1910 and the 1950s, the station was one of the busiest passenger stops between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, with about thirty-two daily and weekly trains stopping in 1910. Its architecture and surviving shelters distinguish it from other stations on the line.
Significance in brief: The station is significant for its distinctive eclectic Victorian architecture, which the nomination says is unique among major stations on the western division of the main line. It is also significant as an important passenger transportation center on that division, handling heavy passenger traffic from the early twentieth century through 1950. Its original passenger shelters are noted as rare survivors on the line.
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 86001689, listed July 17, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Depot St., Latrobe |
|---|---|
| County | Westmoreland County |
| Listed | July 17, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86001689 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900-1949 |
| Architect / builder | Wm. H. Brown, Chief engineers; G. C. Clarke, asst. engr., H.S. Kerbaugh, constructor |
| Architectural style | Eclectic Victorian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Two trains still stop at the station, but the ticket office is closed and the building stands idle; the station has been sold from the Pennsylvania Railroad to private owners. |
| Acreage | 1.5 |
| Coordinates | 40.31858, -79.38523 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 86001689.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q11347160
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.