Pennsylvania National Bank Building

The Pennsylvania National Bank Building is a historic building in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is located on a prominent site facing Doughboy Square, the acute intersection of Butler Street and Penn Avenue[1] which is often considered the "entrance to Lawrenceville".[2][3][4]

Pennsylvania National Bank Building
The building in 2015
Pennsylvania National Bank Building is located in Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania National Bank Building
Location of Pennsylvania National Bank Building in Pittsburgh
Location3400 Butler St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 40°27′48″N 79°58′00″W
Built1903
ArchitectBeezer Brothers
Architectural styleBeaux-Arts
Part ofLawrenceville Historic District (ID100004020)
Designated CPJuly 8, 2019

History

The building was constructed in 1902–03 as the new headquarters of the Pennsylvania National Bank, which had operated out of an earlier three-story building on the same site since 1893.[5] The building was listed as a contributing property in the Lawrenceville Historic District in 2019 and a Pittsburgh historic landmark in 2020.[2]

The Pennsylvania National Bank Building is a one-story, Beaux-Arts-style building[6] constructed from buff-colored brick with terra cotta ornaments.[7][8] It was designed by the Beezer Brothers,[9] who also designed the nearby St. John the Baptist Church which was completed the same year. The bank's footprint is trapezoidal, with the non-parallel sides defined by the streets on either side.

The narrow front of the building has a single entrance bay and an arched parapet decorated with a keystone emblem. The two side elevations are both five bays wide with a combination of arched and pedimented windows; however, the Butler Street side also has an exposed basement due to the sloping topography of the site.[2] The rear of the building has two additions, the latter of which was added in 2019 by the current tenant, Desmone Architects.[10][11][12]

References
  1. Gannon, Joyce. "Sprucing Up the Neighborhood." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 31, 1993, p. 17 (subscription required).
  2. Cenci, Alec. "City of Pittsburgh Historic Landmark Nomination: Former Pennsylvania National Bank Building" (PDF). Preservation Pittsburgh. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  3. "Will Not Build Until Next Year: Pennsylvania National Bank Postpones Erection of New Building." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Daily Post, March 28, 1901, p. 10 (subscription required).
  4. Notice of Bank Opening Event (column two). Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The Pittsburgh Press, May 27, 1903, p. 16 (subscription required).
  5. "Will Not Build Until Next Year: Pennsylvania National Bank Postpones Erection of New Building," Pittsburgh Daily Post, March 28, 1901.
  6. "Former Pennsylvania National Bank Building." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Preservation Pittsburgh, August 13, 2019.
  7. Kidney, Walter C. (1997). Pittsburgh's Landmark Architecture: The Historic Buildings of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. p. 333. ISBN 0-916670-18-X.
  8. "Building Boom Strikes City: Permits Issued for Many Large and Costly Structures." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The Pittsburgh Press, May 31, 1902, p. 2 (subscription required).
  9. "Former Pennsylvania National Bank Building Nominated for City Historic Landmark Status." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Preservation Pittsburgh, October 26, 2019.
  10. Jones, Diana Nelson. "Reinventing Lawrenceville took time and effort." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 26, p. A8 of pp. A1, A8 (subscription required).
  11. Schooley, Tim. "Personalities of Pittsburgh: Desmone Architects revitalizing the ol' neighborhood." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Business Times, February 27, 2015 (subscription required).
  12. Gannon, Joyce. "Sprucing Up the Neighborhood," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 31, 1993.
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