Sauer Buildings Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Sauer Buildings Historic District
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Sauer's "Heidelberg" apartment house
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 Location in Pennsylvania
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| Location | 607–717 Center Avenue Aspinwall, Pennsylvania |
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| Area | 30 acres (120,000 m2), 9 buildings |
| Built | 1898–1942 |
| Architectural style | Fantastic, Medieval Revival, Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 85002296 |
| Added to NRHP | September 11, 1985 |
The Sauer Buildings Historic District is a special group of buildings. You can find them on Center Avenue in Aspinwall, Pennsylvania. A man named Frederick C. Sauer designed and built them. He worked on these buildings from 1898 until he passed away in 1942. This unique area was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 11, 1985. This means it's an important place worth protecting.
Contents
The Story of the Sauer Buildings
Frederick Sauer's Early Work
In 1898, Frederick Sauer bought some land in Aspinwall, Pennsylvania. He built a home for himself and his family there. This first house looked like a typical home of that time. It was made of brick and followed a style called Colonial Revival.
Frederick Sauer was an architect. This means he designed buildings for a living. He designed many buildings in the Pittsburgh area. Most of these were Catholic churches. They often had a style called Romanesque Revival.
Building a Dream World
After designing many buildings for other people, Sauer decided to build something just for fun. He started creating rental homes on his own land in Aspinwall. He did all the work himself. He was the designer, the bricklayer, and the carpenter.
From 1928 to 1930, he turned his old chicken coop into an apartment building. He called this three-story building "Heidelberg." It was a very unusual building. After this, he kept building more and more. He slowly changed his wooded hillside into an amazing architectural fantasy.
A Complex of Castles
Sauer created a group of buildings that looked like castles. This style is called Fantastic architecture. He kept adding to this unique complex until he died in 1942. The buildings and the landscape features all fit this special style.
Gallery
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The Sauer Buildings Historic District in Aspinwall, Pennsylvania
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A unique mailbox designed by Sauer around 1930
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An apartment building at 607 Center Avenue, around 1930
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Another apartment building from around 1930
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An apartment building featuring a turret, around 1930
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The Sauer House, built in 1898, at 625 Center Avenue
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A stone face keystone above an arched doorway, around 1930
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A house at 615 Center Avenue, around 1930
