Cement City Historic District facts for kids
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Cement City Historic District
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 Location in Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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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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| Area | 8.8 acres (3.6 ha) |
| Built | 1916 |
| Architect | Lambie Concrete House Corporation; Aberthaw Construction |
| Architectural style | Prairie School |
| NRHP reference No. | 96000023 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | February 16, 1996 |
Cement City Historic District is a special neighborhood in Donora, Pennsylvania. It's famous for its unique houses made almost entirely of concrete! These homes were built over 100 years ago, between 1916 and 1917. They were created to house the workers of a big company called American Steel and Wire.
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Discovering Cement City: A Unique Neighborhood
Cement City is known as a historic district. This means it's a special area with buildings that are important to history. The district has 80 houses that are all built from concrete. This was a very new and exciting way to build homes back then.
Homes Made of Concrete!
The style of these houses is called "Prairie School" architecture. This means they have simple, strong shapes and often flat roofs. Imagine building a house by pouring liquid concrete into molds – that's how these homes were made! It took a huge amount of Portland cement to build them, about 10,000 barrels in total.
The Idea Behind Concrete Homes
Building houses from concrete became popular for big projects like this. A famous inventor named Thomas Edison even helped promote the idea! The homes in Cement City used a brand-new building method. It was developed by a company called Lambie Concrete House Corporation. This method made it easier to build many houses quickly and strongly.
A Special Place in History
Cement City was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. This is a list of places in the United States that are important to our country's history. In 1997, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission placed a special historical marker nearby. This marker tells everyone about the important history of Cement City.
The neighborhood is also recognized as a historic district by the Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation. Many of these original concrete homes are still standing today. People live in them, showing how well these unique houses were built!
