Public Square (The Diamond)

The public square or “Diamond,” residing on the intersection of Allegheny and Montgomery Streets of downtown Hollidaysburg, remained a hub for business and socializing throughout the years of the Allegheny Portage Railroad’s operation and beyond. As you can see from the second photo, the railroad ran directly through the streets of Hollidaysburg. The four main points of the diamond include the Capitol Hotel, the First National Bank/Hollidaysburg Trust Company, the Condron Opera House and the American House. Three of the four have remained as the original buildings, and one has even managed to remain in business since its establishment.

Today, the diamond still holds historical value, but has changed functions over the years, the railroad tracks being the first thing to go and original uses for the buildings being next, usually being repurposed as needs for the town changed. For instance, the Condron Opera House has been out of business for years, but the original building remains and has been home to a number of small local businesses over the years. The Capitol Hotel and American House no longer offer lodging for Portage railroad travelers, but Capitol still offers food, beverage and entertainment for anyone passing through.

The Blair County Centennial Parade taking place on The Diamond in 1936. The event was a multi-day procession through historic Hollidaysburg, featuring, displays, floats and honored guests who participated in the parade. The grand finale of the event was described in the Altoona Tribune as “a scene of splendor,” the last episode being known as The Masque. An article covering the celebration elaborated. “The dancers of the cast, ranging from little girls and, boys to older ones, appear on the stage in small numbers, each doing their respective dances, until the stage is filled with gorgeously costumed dancers, swirling through the many figures, comprising The Melting Pot, symbolizing the spirit and growth of America and making a great symphony of motion and color.”

Over 15,000 people attended the event. The Acme Market seen in the photo used to be the Condron Opera House and has since been replaced by a music store.

————————————————————————————————————————————-

Capitol Hotel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr Henry Denlinger commenced the erection of a large three- story brick hotel in possibly c.a. 1901 (c.f. The Altoona Mirror).Charles Edwin Bratlinger was the proprietor of the Capital Hotel. In 1918, he established at Hollidaysburg a pool room and recreation hall, which he operated successfully until 1929. In that year, he purchased the Capital Hotel, a thirty room hostelry maintaining dining and coffee room service. The building continues to be run as a full restaurant, bar, and coffee shop to this day, but it no longer operates as an actual hotel.

 

 

In the the basement of the hotel, there was a functioning Barber Shop, the shop has since been converted to a tavern called the Piperoom.

 ———————————————————————————————————–

First National Bank/Hollidaysburg Trust Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1849 James M. Bell, a prominent lawyer, and Thomas C. McDowell, who was in the transporting business with the Pennsylvania Canal, established a banking house under the firm name ‘Bell, McDowell & Co.’ After several years of changing firm personnel, the banking house was established as a national bank and was named First National Bank in 1863.

The bank had to suspend business in 1896 due to “a heavy run made by depositors,” during an economic depression in that year. The bank was reorganized as the Hollidaysburg Trust Company in 1897 and the building was remodeled due to a fire in the same year. It remained as such until 2001 when it was sold to the bank chain “First National Bank” (not the same the original name of the bank) which continues to reside in the HTC building today, keeping the original facade.

——————————————————————————————————————————————-

Condron Opera House

This Opera House was established in 1868. It was a building created for many public events and pastimes. Many different shows and performances were put on throughout the week. No matter what show was going on, all 600 seats would be sold out. The pricing of tickets were very reasonable, only being $15 a show. The Opera house still resides as part of the diamond, and is one of the tallest buildings in the downtown area.

If you look closely at the little windows in the lower section of the building, you will see that they are actually the original windows from the Opera House. The windows have since been boarded up, but not removed from the facade.

As you can see from the first image, a post office used to reside in the lower section of the Opera House.

---

American House

The American House nicknamed the U.S hotel was established in 1835 by John Daughtery. This building sat at the end of the Allegheny Portage Railroad. The tavern was used for lodging and relaxation. It even had a barbershop for people who needed to look good while traveling. The building was a great place of revenue until it was destroyed by a fire in 1871. It was then rebuilt in 1886 by Enegelbert Gromiller. The building remains in business but is mainly used as historic scenery for Hollidaysburg.

The space where the American House once stood has since been replaced by a chocolate/candy store.

————————————————————————————————————

Other Buildings in “The Diamond”

H.L. Green Co. Department Store

Originally this building was a Chinese Laundry, but became a department store in the early 1900s and remained as such until the 90’s when it was sold and converted to the current “CopyRite” copy supply store.