Downtown Altoona Historic District

{{short description|Historic district in Pennsylvania, United States}}

{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox NRHP

| name = Downtown Altoona Historic District

| nrhp_type = hd

| nocat = yes

| image = Altoona_2.jpg

| caption =

| location = Roughly bounded by 11th Avenue, 11th Street, 15th Avenue and 13th Street, also 700–1000 Lexington and 900–1000 Howard Avenues, Altoona, Pennsylvania

| coordinates = {{coord|40|31|8|N|78|24|4|W|display=inline,title}}

| locmapin = Pennsylvania#USA

| built = 1868

| architect = Multiple, including D. George Puderbaugh, Charles M. Robinson

| architecture = Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Late Victorian, Early Commercial, Late Gothic Revival

| added = July 24, 1992, August 20, 2004 (Boundary Increase)

| area = {{convert|48.9|acre}}

| refnum = 92000946, 04000885 (Boundary Increase){{NRISref|version=2010a}}

}}

Downtown Altoona Historic District is a national historic district located at Altoona, Blair County, Pennsylvania. The district includes 240 contributing buildings in the central business district and surrounding residential areas of Altoona. The buildings were primarily built after about 1860 and include residential, civic, social, and religious buildings. Although it does not encompass the entire downtown, it is for the most part the most urban part of Altoona's downtown district (whose boundaries are not very neatly defined anyway). Notable buildings include the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament (1920s), First Methodist Episcopal Church, First Presbyterian Church, First Evangelical Lutheran Church (1896-1897), U.S. Post Office (1931-1933), Fraternal Order of Eagles Building (demolished), Altoona City Hall, Casanave Building (1890s), Hutchison Block, McCrory's Department Store (1937), and Aaron-Penn Furniture Building. Located in the district are the separately listed Central Trust Company Buildings, Mishler Theatre, and Penn Alto Hotel.{{cite web |url=https://www.dot7.state.pa.us/ce/SelectWelcome.asp |title=National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania |publisher=CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System |format=Searchable database |access-date=November 5, 2011 |archive-date=July 21, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070721014609/https://www.dot7.state.pa.us/ce/SelectWelcome.asp |url-status=dead }} Note: This includes {{cite web |url=https://www.dot7.state.pa.us/ce_imagery/phmc_scans/ |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Downtown Altoona Historic District |access-date=2011-10-29 |author=Carol A. Benenson |format=PDF |date=March 1992 }}{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web| url = https://www.dot7.state.pa.us/ce/SelectWelcome.asp| title = National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania| publisher = CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System| format = Searchable database| access-date = November 5, 2011| archive-date = July 21, 2007| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070721014609/https://www.dot7.state.pa.us/ce/SelectWelcome.asp| url-status = dead}} Note: This includes {{cite web| url = {{NRHP-PA|H105185_01H.pdf}}| title = National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Downtown Altoona Historic District (Boundary Increase)| access-date = 2011-10-29| author = Gregory Ramsey and Judy Coutts| format = PDF| date = May 2004}}

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992, with a boundary increase in 2004.