Cement City Historic District
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Location | Roughly, Chestnut and Walnut Sts. from Modisette Ave. to Bertha Ave. and along Ida and Bertha Sts., Donora, Pennsylvania |
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Coordinates | 40°10′15″N 79°51′56″W / 40.17083°N 79.86556°WCoordinates: 40°10′15″N 79°51′56″W / 40.17083°N 79.86556°W |
Area | 8.8 acres (3.6 ha) |
Built | 1916 |
Architect | Lambie Concrete House Corporation; Aberthaw Construction |
Architectural style | Prairie School |
NRHP Reference # | 96000023 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | February 16, 1996 |
Designated PHMC | October 04, 1997 |
Cement City Historic District is a historic district in Donora, Pennsylvania. The district includes 80 Prairie School concrete residences built in 1916-17. The homes served as housing for employees of the American Steel and Wire Company. Poured-in-place concrete houses had become popular in large-scale housing developments at the time, partly thanks to promotion by Thomas Edison; the homes built in Donora used a newly patented construction method from the Lambie Concrete House Corporation. Building the houses required a combined 10,000 barrels of Portland cement.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. In 1997, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission installed a historical marker on McKean Ave. (Pa. 837) in South Donora, noting the historic importance of the community. It is designated as a historic district by the Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation. Many of the original cement homes are still standing today, and currently serve as private residences.