page_title: Paul Bartholomew
section_title: Notable commissions
hierarchical_section_title: Paul Bartholomew / Notable commissions
caption_attribution_description: English: YMCA, 101 South Maple Avenue (at corner of East Pittsburgh Street), Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Built: 1912.
context_page_description: Paul Amos Batholomew was an architect in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. From the beginning of his practice, he received a variety of high-profile commissions for both residential and non-residential structures, mainly in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. His buildings typically had historicist facades, with neoclassical or Italianate ornamentation covering a modern framework. It was only in the 1950s, toward the end of his career, that he created buildings that were purely modern in design. During the Great Depression, a particularly trying time for architects, he received the commission to design Norvelt, which was a new town created as part of President Roosevelt's New Deal policies.
  One of his commissions, the Citizens National Bank of Latrobe of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, designed with partner Brandon Smith, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Many of Bartholomew's works are contributing properties to the Greensburg Downtown Historic District and the Academy Hill Historic District.
context_section_description: Among Bartholomew's commissions were the following:
  Houses in Academy Hill, Greensburg: The Academy Hill Historic District was created by the National Park Service, in part, to recognize the houses Bartholomew designed in this traditionally elite neighborhood. (Year of construction is in parentheses.) On North Main Street, he designed numbers 419 (1935), 431 (1920), 445 (1913), and 450 (1920). On North Maple Avenue, he designed numbers 528 (1913) and 552 (1922). On Walnut Avenue, he designed number 334 (1936). On Kenneth Street, he designed numbers 208 (1920) & 214 (1937).  On Woodland Avenue he designed number 44 (1946). he designed  208 Was his residence from 1920 until his death in 1973.
  The remaining items are in chronological order:
  Greensburg YMCA (1912): Located at 101 South Maple Avenue (corner of East Pittsburgh Street), in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, this 1912 structure is a four-story red brick building with Classical elements. This was Bartholomew's first major non-residential commission. The third and fourth floors consisted of rooms that could be rented, and that part of the building became a residence for elderly men of limited means. The second floor had meeting rooms, and the main floor had a lobby, gym, and residents' lounge. The basement had a swimming pool, weight room, and locker rooms. There was a sub-basement for mechanical equipment. Over the years, the building has undergone major renovations. Nonetheless, the exterior has hardly changed, except for a 1969 addition on the south side of the building to house a new pool.
  Troutman's Department Store (1923): Located in Greensburg, this is a six-story Italianate structure with a limestone and terracotta facade built in 1923. The building still stands at 202-226 South Main Street. Although the interior has been gutted and converted into offices and seniors' housing, the exterior remains unchanged and in excellent condition.
  Lynch Hall (1923): This Tudor-style mansion was built in 1923 for Charles McKenna Lynch (1884–1963), an executive of the H.C. Frick Coke Company. The house's original name was Starboard Light, in reference to Lynch's earlier career as a naval officer. Its current street address is 150 Finoli Drive, Greensburg, Pennsylvania (actually located in Hempfield Township), where it serves as the administrative building for University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg.
  First Commonwealth Bank (1924): Originally known as First National Bank and later as Southwest Bank, this seven-story red brick building is in a Classical Revival style, built in 1924 at 111 South Main Street, Greensburg. The firm of Bartholomew & Smith were the architects.
  Citizens National Bank of Latrobe (1926): This is in nearby Latrobe, where it is the tallest building of that city. It is located at 816 Ligonier Street (corner of Main Street) in Latrobe. This six story, Classical Revival structure has a bank on the ground floor and offices on upper floors. It was later known as the Mellon Bank Building. The architects were the firm of Bartholomew & Smith, and the building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
  Fort Jackson Hotel (1926):  This three-story, red brick structure at 19 South Washington Street in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania was designed by the firm of Bartholomew & Smith. It was originally a hotel and was later converted into offices.
  Beta Theta Pi Fraternity House (1929): This 1929 building is still in use as a fraternity house at 220 North Burrowes Street, State College, Pennsylvania.
  Community of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, originally Westmoreland Homesteads (1934–1937): This planned community in Mount Pleasant Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, was built by the federal government during the Great Depression as one of 92 "subsistence homesteads" intended to address rural poverty. Paul Bartholomew received the commission to lay out the plan of streets, which he did in a nontraditional pattern of circles and semicircles. The layout was quite spacious with large lots, and it was intended that laid-off mine workers would be able to raise their own food.
caption: Greensburg YMCA (1912)
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