close

Architecture topic at genealogical meeting

5 min read
article image -

WAYNESBURG – The town of Waynesburg was laid out at the same time the county was founded in 1796 and the first buildings, including the log courthouse, were on Greene Street.

Surprisingly, the common building material for most structures in Waynesburg was brick, not log, said Mary Beth Morgan Pastorius, a Waynesburg native and architectural researcher.

Pastorius, speaker at the April meeting of the Cornerstone Genealogical Society, said the west side of the Robert Whitehill house at 189 E. High St., was built out of a Flemish brick and the east side with common bond brick. Whitehill Place, as it is now called, is a preservation success story for the Greene County government.

The Greene County Courthouse portico has six, two-story fluted Corinthian columns that support a pediment on the top. This front-facing pediment or gable gives the appearance of a Greek Temple, Pastorius said. Architectural historians have written that Greene County’s Greek revival courthouse is the most beautiful representative of its era in western Pennsylvania.

At the time of the building of the courthouse, Waynesburg College was building its first building, Hanna Hall, using the same craftsmen and the same style of architecture.

At the same time of the Greek revival, there was another style called the Gothic revival. The Gothic revival was never as popular at Greek and therefore there are not many remaining buildings in Greene County in that style. The Behm house outside of Jefferson is the best example of this style. The Greene Mount Cemetery gatehouse, since torn down, was also an example of the Gothic style of architecture, she said.

In the period after the Civil War, new styles became fashionable and grouped together they became known as Victorian. The most popular of these was the Italianate. It combined elements of a Greek and Gothic architecture with the informality of the more contemporary Italian country villa. From 1857 until 1910 the borough building was the site of Greene County’s first bank, Farmer and Drovers Bank. It was a classic example of Italianate design, with an extremely flat roof, a large overhanging cornice with very elaborate brackets and a front balcony with ornate ironwork. The borough remodeled this building in 1931 after a fire.

In 1879 the William Parker mansion, which Pastorius owns just a half block east of the borough building, was transformed into a three-story Italianate building. The windows are arch topped and over eight feet tall, trimmed with eyebrow lintels, roof low pitched and large box gutters.

At this same time, the Downey House Hotel was being built by Robinson W. Downey, S. Downey and Hook , the Odd Fellows and Mason were building Town Hall. The second floor assembly room was converted to an Opera House in 1889. There were three shops on the first floor and meeting rooms on the third. In 1939, the entrance to the theater was moved to the center of the building and a marquee was added.

Miller Hall at Waynesburg University is a prime example of Second Empire Architect. It was built with bricks made by President A.B. Miller and the students, and has hand-carved sandstone, Pastorius said.

In 1880, a sheriff’s residence and jail was erected on the rear of the courthouse.

Greene County experienced an oil and gas boom from 1894-1905 and the Queen Ann and Richardson Romanesque architecture was the style of the day. The following are reminiscent of Queen Ann style: J.T. Rogers house, the present day house of the president of Waynesburg University was also the first home in Waynesburg to cook with gas when natural gas piped to Waynesburg in September 1892; and the Soldiers & Sailors Monument designed by A.I. Rinehart.

The Bowlby House, now the Bowlby Library, Henry Freeland House at the corner of East Greene and Porter streets, and the Waynesburg Presbyterian Church are all Colonial revival style.

In 1898 the Blair Hotel was built by W.L. Blair, with 30 rooms and commercial space on the first floor. In 1908 it was remodeled to accommodate Waynesburg’s first hospital on the second floor and a bakery on the first floor.

First Methodist Church is one of the most significant buildings in Waynesburg for three reasons: the exterior is of Hummelstown brownstone used in the famous brownstones in New York City and other east coast cities; stained glass windows that are believed to have been made by Tiffany; and it was designed by J.C. Fulton, a famous architect who practiced all over Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio.

Peoples Bank building), the former Greene County office building, was built in the early 20th century. The fire proof construction of the building was made of reinforced steel I-beam, with poured concrete floor and ceiling. The exterior was of buffed brick and the Hummelstown brownstone. The first-floor bank rooms had marble floors and mahogany trim, with two elevators.

The next meeting of the genealogical society will be at 7 p.m. May 13 in the log courthouse on East Greene Street. Bill Miller will talk about the Circuit Riders. The public is welcome.

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $3.75/week.

Subscribe Today