Historic Harrisburg Association

11/06/2025

For its 52nd year, the Historic Harrisburg Association is holding its annual Candlelight House Tour. The tour was started as a way to highlight city life and over its duration, hundreds of properties have been showcased! Each year, we like to Rekindle a few of these locations as a reminder and thanks to those who have participated along the way!



Today’s Rekindled is a charming Folk Victorian style wood-frame home. Last on the tour in 2006, the property featured a mahogany banister staircase and two and a half stories of large rooms, high ceilings, natural light from the original windows, ten-inch baseboards, and original doors and hardware throughout. Restorations and upgrades include the ceramic tile kitchen and master bathroom, second floor master bedroom suite overlooking the river, and refinished wood floors, as well as an enclosed breakfast room and study. The stone wall separating the home from the empty lot to its side, is original.

11/06/2025

Harrisburg’s Central High School, designed by English-born architect John C. Smith of the notable local firm Smith & Warner, was completed in 1893 at Forster and Capital Streets. The building accommodated 800 pupils and, for the first time, combined the previously segregated Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools. This scanned photograph was taken by Violet Harner Wise around 1952, when the school had been abandoned and was slated for demolition to make way for the Forster Street widening project, intended to accommodate the new Harvey Taylor Bridge/Route 22 connection. Off-street now stands the former State Archives tower. The widening may have supported suburban growth and eased commuting, but it came at the city’s expense, severing the area that would later be known as “Midtown.”

11/05/2025

Volunteer Opportunity: Be Part of Something Elegant!

We’re looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help make Elegant Progressions a night to remember!

Hosted by the Historic Harrisburg Association and the Kidney Foundation of Central PA, this unique progressive dinner event combines elegance, delectable food, and black tie attire — and we need your help to make this year possible!

Event Date: Friday, Dec. 5th (4-10pm) & Saturday, Dec. 6th (4-10pm)
Location: Lemoyne
Volunteer Roles: House captains, coat check, and lighting luminaries

Whether you're passionate about historic preservation, supporting kidney health, or just love being part of meaningful events — this is your chance to give back in style.

Volunteers will receive:
Community service hours
Light refreshments

Interested? Email us at [email protected] to learn more!

10/31/2025

Happy Halloween! This jack-o’-lantern was photographed in 1906 inside J. Horace McFarland’s studio and printing press building at Mulberry and Crescent Streets, where he specialized in nursery catalogs and horticultural publications. Using his love of gardening, he often photographed plants and vegetables, like this pumpkin.

10/30/2025

The Historic Harrisburg Association is saddened to learn of the future demolition of the Gilchrist House in Lower Paxton Township. This property represented a piece of our region’s history, and its impending loss is felt by the community.

Unfortunately, the Association had no prior notice to intervene in this particular case. As a nonprofit preservation advocacy organization with limited resources, HHA relies heavily on our community to help inform us of concerns within the community. When we are made aware of historic properties that may be at risk, we can work with local officials, property owners, and partners to explore preservation alternatives.

We encourage all residents of the Capital Region to remain vigilant and to notify the Historic Harrisburg Association of any historic sites that appear threatened by neglect, redevelopment, or demolition. Together, through early awareness and collaboration, we can better protect the irreplaceable landmarks that tell the story of our community’s history.

For more information or to report a property of concern, please contact us at [email protected] or visit historicharrisburg.org. We are well underway of reviewing our Preservation Priorities list for 2026.

10/23/2025

Featured today on The Spark, listen to Professor Jean-Paul Benowitz discuss the life and work of local architect C. Emlen Urban. This segment promotes our upcoming free Fourth Monday Program on the 27th, where Professor Benowitz will interpret Urban’s architectural style and message.

AIRED; October 23, 2025Listen to the podcast to hear the full conversation. From the grand architecture of Hershey’s iconic buildings to the el […]

10/22/2025

80 years ago this November, the cornerstone for the original two-bay firehouse of Colonial Park Fire Company No. 1 was laid on Jonestown Road. By October 1954, Fire Chief J. Edward Dehner, who also chaired the building committee, broke ground to expand Station 1 by two additional bays. With the area’s rapid suburban growth in the following decades (likely around the time this photo was taken), the station became increasingly busy, prompting the purchase of land for additional fire stations. In the winter of 2000, this firehouse was sold to Mountz Jewelers, which still occupies the building today.

10/21/2025

Yesterday, HHA’s staff had the pleasure to tour the recently renovated historic Lowengard Building on N. 3rd Street. The multitalented Chris Dawson Architect firm purchased the property and completed a breathtaking restoration featuring their new offices, two Airbnb suites, a rooftop event space, and a ground-level commercial storefront as part of this spectacular redevelopment.

10/07/2025

Today's mystery from the archives comes from a recently donated press photo. The late Mayor Stephen Reed appears to be speaking to the press on an unidentified block of rowhouses for reasons unknown. Any guesses about the block or year?

10/01/2025

On this day, 39 years ago, this Concorde took off from Harrisburg International Airport. It was a British-French supersonic airliner (1976–2003) that flew at Mach 2, halved transatlantic flight times, but was ultimately retired due to high costs and limited demand.