Sperling Building

The story

Written by AI from this property's National Register nomination and the record above; every sentence is checked against its sources before it appears here. Corrections: privacy@treealive.com

The Sperling Building is a building at 1007-1013 Penn Ave. in Wilkinsburg, Allegheny County, built around 1902 in the Late Victorian style.

Why it's listed

It was listed under criterion C, with local significance in architecture; the nomination gives its period of significance as 1902, reflecting the building's construction around 1902.

Physical character

The building rests on a stone foundation below grade, with brick walls and a flat asphalt roof carrying brick chimneys. Its front wall carries a patterned masonry cornice with projecting brick dentils, masonry quoins, and arched openings filled with one-over-one wood sash windows. Inside, a pressed metal ceiling, decorative newell posts and egg-and-dart chair rails survive, and three storefronts line the ground floor. A wood-framed residence was added at the rear in 1915; in 1999 its full-height rear porch was demolished and replaced with a smaller framed emergency stair.

Historical context

The building stands on Penn Avenue, which was paved in 1890. It was associated with the Sperling Shoe Company and was used over the years for stores, specialty shops and multiple dwellings. It was sold to Joseph and John Totten in 1950, and at the time of its listing it stood vacant after having served as both a store and a multiple dwelling.