Tyrone Borough

Tyrone Borough is located at the intersection of Routes 220 and 453 at the pass separating Brush and Bald Eagle Mountains, through which flows the Little Juniata River on its way to Huntingdon, the Huntington County seat. Borough municipal offices are located at 1100 Logan Avenue, Tyrone, PA 16686; phone: 814-684-1330.

Brief History

The Tyrone Historic District (roughly bounded by West 14th Street, Logan Avenue, Bald Eagle Avenue, the Little Juniata River, West 8th Street, and Jefferson Avenue) was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. Text, below was transcribed from a copy of the original nomination document. Photos: residences along Lincoln Avenue, May 2006.

The Tyrone Historic District originated with the arrival of the Pennsylvania Railroad's main line in 1850. The Pennsylvania Railroad made Tyrone a junction for railroad traffic coming from short lines to the main line in northern Blair County. These railroad and the exploitation of area deposits of coal and stands of fine timber caused Tyrone to grow and prosper through the early twentieth century. Tyrone became the commercial center for northern Blair County from 1850 through 1938 as a result of the trade that flowed through the borough. The historic district contains the historic commercial section of Tyrone. Railroad managers and businessmen erected outstanding examples of mid-nineteenth century to early twentieth century residential architecture in the district. Their housing, along with the housing of workers who settled in the district and commercial and institutional buildings erected during the mid-nineteenth to early twentieth centuries, make the district an outstanding concentration of period architecture in northern Blair County.

The first settlers in the Tyrone area appeared at least seventy-five years before the community was founded, when iron was discovered in abundance in northern Blair County. This combined with heavy stands of timber used for charcoal, rich deposits of limestone employed for smelting, and energy harnessed from numerous streams, spurred the development of the iron industry in the region. The Tyrone Forge was developed in 1805, and by 1807 a 150 ton-per-day rolling mill was erected just below the forge. The Upper Tyrone Forge was established in 1813 and an iron furnace at Bald Eagle in 1824. The arrival of the railroad in 1850 began a rush of construction activity designed to capitalize on transporting harvested natural resources and iron ore. In 1851 Lyon, Shorb and Company which owned much of the land in the area had seventy-five lots laid out in the present historic district. Frame houses and buildings were constructed in the historic district to accommodate the rising population and increased commercial activity. Businessmen of many types, including butcher, brickmaker, carpenter, potter, tanner, saddler, inn-keeper, furniture seller and clothing seller, settled in the town within a few years of its beginning. The first hotel was built in 1853, primarily as a stop over for railroad passengers; this hotel, the City Hotel, still stands in the historic district. The first railroad station was erected also in 1853. Tyrone was incorporated as a borough in 1857.

The growth of Tyrone, including its commercial section, continued as short line railroads were built into Tyrone to connect with the Pennsylvania Railroad main line. Tyrone became one of the most important stations between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh on the main line as a hub for several branch and independent lines serving the timber- and coal-rich region. The Bald Eagle Valley Railroad Company had a line operating between Tyrone and Lock Haven by 1865. This line became one of the most heavily travelled freight arteries in the region, as well as an important passenger link between Pittsburgh and Easton. A line was constructed between Tyrone and Clearfield in 1869, and extended in 1874 to Curwensville to carry lumber and coal. This line brought thousands of tons of coal and lumber down the Allegheny Front to Tyrone and the main line. The Lewisburg and Tyrone Railroad provided service from Tyrone through Warriors Mark and on to iron mines in Scotia. Tyrone became important enough in the Pennsylvania Railroad system that the company designated the Tyrone Division in 1863. Roundhouses, scales, repair shops and yards for the division were developed outside the nominated historic district in East Tyrone.

Despite a devastating fire the commercial section of the historic district continued to grow through the later nineteenth century and into the early twentieth century as railroads brought trade into Tyrone. In 1880 a fire swept down Pennsylvania Avenue and up Tenth Street, destroying much of the earlier business district and leaving few commercial buildings from before 1880 in the historic district. Destroyed buildings were rapidly replaced and more erected. With the commercial section rebuilt, the railroad station became the focal point of the community and the block along Pennsylvania Avenue, between the station and Tenth Street (now the 900 block), became a desirable location for hotels, barber shops and stores catering to the traveller. Prunner Hall, built at 955 Pennsylvania Avenue by E.J. Prunner in 1888, contained first-floor storefronts, second-floor offices, and the third-floor Prunner Social Hall which hosted numerous social events. Robert Garman erected a building for his jewelry business at 980 Pennsylvania Avenue in 1910. The First National Bank moved to its newly constructed Italian Renaissance style building at 1000 Pennsylvania Avenue in 1906. The Conrad Building at 1052 Pennsylvania Avenue was built in 1880 just after the fire; the Tyrone post office was housed in this building from 1895 to 1930. All these commercial buildings still stand in the nominated historic district.

The commercial section of the historic district served as an important commercial center for northern Blair County and nearby areas of Huntingdon and Centre Counties from 1850 through 1938. The district's businesses served a market that included the area from Bellwood to Port Matilda and the Allegheny Ridge about half way to Huntingdon. By the turn of the century these businesses included, among others, a jewelry store, wholesale grocery, bank, hardware store, insurance agency, furniture store, bakery and department store. The nearest challengers to Tyrone's commercial pre-eminence in this region were Hollidaysburg and considerably larger Altoona, which served residents primarily in central Blair County. Businesses in the historic district also served passengers travelling on the Pennsylvania main line and the short lines that joined the main line in Tyrone,.

As business and the railroads prospered in Tyrone, the city grew to include more people and land. By 1870 Tyrone had grown to include 1,800 people. By the turn of the century the population was well over 5,000. At its peak in 1920, Tyrone had 9,084 residents. The village of East Tyrone was started in 1868; it extended from present-day Eighteenth Street to Twenty-Third Street. Most of the people who lived in East Tyrone were employed by the railroad repair shops. East Tyrone was incorporated in 1873 and consolidated with Tyrone in 1893. The Hillcrest area of the borough lying between Fifth and Third Streets was added by 1915. The growth of the borough was aided by the creation in 1901 of the "Tyrone Street Railway Company" which served the borough and connected Tyrone to the surrounding countryside, including Bellwood and Altoona.

As Tyrone expanded, railroad managers, local businessmen and workers erected houses, many of which are located within the nominated historic district. Residences within the district were built in high styles popular during the later nineteenth and early twentieth century, including the Queen Anne, Gothic Revival, Colonial Revival, Neo-Classical Revival and Prairie styles. These residential buildings, together with the commercial buildings erected with later-nineteenth and early-twentieth century architectural details, and institutional edifices built in such high styles as Romanesque and Neo-Classical Revival comprise an outstanding concentration of 1850-1938 architecture in northern Blair County. No other concentration of contemporary architecture exists in northern Blair County to rival the nominated historic district in terms of numbers of buildings and richness of styles and architectural detailing. The nearest concentration of period architecture that excels the historic district in these terms is in Altoona, which has a larger collection of later nineteenth and early twentieth century residential, commercial and institutional architecture scattered through the city.

The end of the historic district's period of significance is marked by the closing of the rail trolley in 1938. The automobile also reduced the importance of rail travel on the Pennsylvania Railroad main line and short lines, and thus the importance of Tyrone. The Tyrone Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad was merged into the Middle Division, leading to the dismantling of the yard and shops in Tyrone, and the curtailing of railroad company expenditures in the town. The railroad station has been demolished, and little remains of the physical plant of the railroad to recall its history today. Nevertheless, the commercial, residential and institutional buildings in the historic district remain to represent the commercial and architectural significance of Tyrone.

Architectural Features

Tyrone Borough Historic District, includes an area primarily comprised of architecturally varied commercial and residential buildings and several institutional buildings which are stylish as well. The District is nestled in a valley situated in the northern part of the Logan Valley in the Ridge and Valley section of the Appalachian Valley Province and at the junction of Bald Eagle Creek and the Little Juniata River. The topography is basically flat in proximity to the creek and river but gradually increases in slope moving towards the north eastern boundary of the District. Surrounding the District are residential homes to the north, more residential homes and an industrial processing facility to the east, U. S. Route 220 (major transportation route) to the south, and a densely spaced single-family residential neighborhood to the west. Within the District, a combination of larger and more modest sized residences - each with some degree of yard space - and spotted institutional building locations are located in the north, east, and west sections of the District. The southern section of the District is comprised of a commercial area with no yard space.

Tyrone Borough Historic District includes four hundred forty-one (441) buildings (garages and outbuildings are not counted unless specified within the building inventory sheets) and two structures. Erected between ca. 1850 and ca. 1938, the District contains a wide sampling of late 19th century and early 20th century revival styles in a variety of materials of which brick, stone, and wood frame are represented. Of the 443 buildings included, twelve (12) were erected between 1850 and 1869, twenty-nine (29) between 1870 and 1899, three hundred seventy-one (371) between 1900 and 1925, and twenty-nine (29) since 1925. Also included are the significant structures in the form of bridges.

Of the forty-three (43) contributing commercial buildings, the majority are two to three stories in height, of brick construction, and feature the two-part commercial block configuration so typical of small-town Main Streets during the mid-to-late 19th century. The two-part commercial block was an outgrowth of the shophouse building of an earlier period and displays a distinct division between the single-story lower zone which was used for public space and the upper zone which was devoted to more private functions. Generally speaking, the facades of the examples along Tyrone's Pennsylvania Avenue and West 10th Street are treated in a simplistic manner. Little applied ornamentation is present. However, there are instances such as the 1910 Garman Building at 980 Pennsylvania Avenue and the 1892 Hiller Building at 970-972 Pennsylvania Avenue where Victorian influences are present. The Garman and Hiller Buildings are both impressive with each having their corbeled wooden cornices inscribed with respective construction dates and building names. The I.O.O.F. Building at 967 Pennsylvania Avenue has a facade with false front at top, lancet-shaped eyebrow protected windows and polychromed bands in stone, which are also used as window spandrels, and is an example of the Victorian Gothic Revival Style.

Finally from a commercial perspective and from an even more exotic Italian Renaissance style influence is the 1906 Jones Building at 1000-1008 Pennsylvania Avenue with its intricately detailed buff Bedford stone, vitrified cherry red brick with projecting cornice, large terre cotta modillions and consoles and the terra cotta balustrade along the roof line with the stone belt course between the first and second stories.

The residential portion of the District, which lies to the north and wraps around the northern edge of the Central Business District, is made up of two hundred eighty-six (286) contributing buildings. Most of the homes are two to two and one-half (2 to 2 1/2) stories and are constructed primarily of brick with some stone and frame types present as well.

The dominant residential styles in the District are those associated with the Late Victorian and late 19th and early 20th century revival periods. Among the more popular are Queen Anne which is exemplified in a ca. 1890 house on Jefferson Avenue with its hipped roof with lower cross gables, turned spindle porch supports and spindled porch frieze. Equally, a ca. 1880 home on Jefferson Avenue with its cross gabled roof, asymmetrical wrap-around porch adorned with spindle work banisters and integral recessed second-story porch deserves mention. Another Queen Anne style house, ca. 1900, but exhibiting certain Stick style elements in its gable ends, is located on Cameron Avenue. Other features are its colored glass bay windows and large wall dormer.

A fine example from the Romantic Era and Gothic Revival style is the 1855 White House Bed and Breakfast on Washington Avenue. It features a full-height entry porch, double front facing gable, supported by simplified Doric posts, and recessed second-floor porch above a simple entabulated entrance.

Among the numerous period revival houses in the District is the ca. 1910 Colonial Revival residence on Washington Avenue. It features a side gable roof, a pediment without supporting pilasters, and triple-placed windows with double-hung sashes.

In fine Neo-Classical Revival style is a ca. 1900 residence on Lincoln Avenue which features corner pilasters with Ionic capitals, a second story reverse portico with a first story porch set in and under, a hip roof with large dormers, prominent cornices with dentils and stained glass arched transoms on first floor windows.

A representative Revival example designed in the Italian Renaissance style is a brick home on Washington Avenue. It has a ceramic tile roof, overhanging eaves supported by decorative brackets and an entrance area flanked by pilasters and recessed porch.

Examples of Prairie style are evident in ca. 1920 homes on Ninth Street, respectively. An example of Prairie stylistic influence is featured in a 1905 residence on Jefferson Avenue. Its features include brick battened porch piers, an exterior chimney with small high-spaced windows located on either side and an interesting dormer on a side-gabled roof.

Several institutional buildings (nineteen buildings and two structures) are within the Historic District and are contributing to the District. St. Matthews Catholic Church is a brick and stone Richardson Romanesque style church erected in 1880. Its main stained glass window frieze bears the inscription "St. Matthews Church." Among its significant architectural features are rusticated voussoirs, a parapeted gable and elaborately detailed tower cornices. The Lincoln School at 1307 Lincoln Avenue also contributes. Constructed of brick it includes interestingly detailed Neo-Classical Revival stone including a balustrade-lined portico in Ionic order. An enriched stone entablature documents its construction as 1916. Concluding, the 1912 U.S. Army Armory on Logan Avenue has already been established on the National Register for Historic Places.

The two contributing structures in the District include the ca. 1900 raised railroad bed/viaduct which runs along Washington Avenue and provides a passover/viaduct over West 10th Street. This structure combines sandstone bed base slabs and, at the viaduct, steel and truss construction for building materials. The other contributing structure is the road bridge at East 10th Street and Blair Avenue, ca. 1900, which consists of steel and truss construction and is roughly thirty (30) feet above Bald Eagle Creek which passes beneath.

The District also contains ninety-one (91) noncontributing buildings which have been classified as such either because they were built following the District's period of significance or are within the period of significance but have been drastically altered architecturally from their original character.

Those noncontributing resources falling out of the Historic District's period of significance are widely scattered and do not measurably impact on the integrity of the Historic District.

Those noncontributing resources classified as such due to architectural changes (completely resided, new doors or windows, porches removed, tar papering or stucco, etc.) or which are severely deteriorated include: two (2) institutional buildings (African Methodist Episcopal Church on West 19th Street, severely deteriorated, through neglect with a significant loss of historic design features, and the St. Matthews Church Administration Office on Cameron Avenue. Overall, the noncontributing buildings do not detract greatly from the integrity of the District. They comprise 20% of the total buildings and are widely scattered.

Overall, the district's contributing buildings maintain a high degree of integrity with their exteriors remaining basically unchanged. The most common change to the business buildings has been the installation of fire escapes or signage to the building themselves. Less than 15% of those contributing have been sided in aluminum in some form. Some woodwork, especially in window frames, has deteriorated through neglect. Other changes to contributing buildings include such examples as a building addition to the American Legion on Lincoln Avenue and porches on various Lincoln and Logan Avenue homes.