Penn Alto Building

The Penn Alto Building is a historic landmark in downtown Altoona, Pennsylvania, United States. Designed by H. L. Stevens & Company and completed in 1921, the nine-story structure includes a partial tenth-floor penthouse and occupies a prominent site near Altoona City Hall. Its name and use have changed over time: it was originally known as the Penn Alto Hotel, later operated as the Penn Alto Apartments when the property shifted from a strictly hotel-based model to a residential-hotel arrangement, and is currently known as City Hall Commons. The present name reflects the building’s location directly across from City Hall. The property represents an early twentieth-century urban hospitality and residential development in central Altoona. Its original hotel identity indicates that it was built to serve visitors and the city’s commercial activity, while its later apartment-hotel configuration accommodated both longer-term residents and hotel guests. This change in use illustrates the building’s adaptation to changing patterns of downtown occupancy rather than the creation of a separate consumer brand or product line. The building’s reported height varies by source. One measurement places it at approximately 98 feet, or 30 meters, while another gives approximately 115 feet, or 35 meters. The discrepancy may be related to the slight incline of the site on which the building was constructed. Regardless of the measurement used, the building remains a substantial vertical landmark in Altoona’s downtown streetscape. In 1989, the Penn Alto Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It is also situated within the Downtown Altoona Historic District, linking its significance to the broader historic character of the city center. Historic documentation includes a Historic American Buildings Survey record for the Penn Alto Hotel at 1120–1130 Thirteenth Avenue, with photographs and architectural documentation. The available reference material focuses on the building’s history, architecture, changing names, and preservation status; it does not identify a current corporate owner, operating company, financial profile, executive team, or commercial product portfolio.

The Penn Alto Building was designed by H. L. Stevens & Company and built in 1921 in downtown Altoona, Pennsylvania. Its original name, the Penn Alto Hotel, reflected its initial role as a hotel serving visitors and downtown activity. The building rises nine stories and includes a partial tenth-floor penthouse, making it a notable vertical element in the city center. It stands across from Altoona City Hall, a relationship that later influenced the property’s current name, City Hall Commons. Over the course of its history, the property’s operating model changed. It was later called the Penn Alto Apartments after shifting from a strictly hotel use to a residential-hotel arrangement. Under that model, the building provided both apartments and hotel rooms, allowing it to serve short-term guests as well as longer-term occupants. The sequence of names—Penn Alto Hotel, Penn Alto Apartments, and City Hall Commons—records these changes in function and identity. The building’s exact height is reported inconsistently. One published measurement gives approximately 98 feet, while another lists approximately 115 feet. The difference may result from the slight incline of the site, which can produce different measurements depending on the point from which height is calculated. The discrepancy does not alter the building’s architectural and historic importance within downtown Altoona. In 1989, the Penn Alto Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also located within the Downtown Altoona Historic District, where it contributes to the historic character of the central business area. The Historic American Buildings Survey maintains documentation for the Penn Alto Hotel, identified at 1120–1130 Thirteenth Avenue in Altoona, Blair County. That record includes photographic and written architectural materials. The available sources do not provide a detailed account of individual owners, developers, managers, renovations, or later redevelopment decisions, so those aspects remain undocumented in this entry.

• 1989

  National Register listing

  [1]Penn Alto Buildingen.wikipedia.org

  The Penn Alto Building was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places.

• 1921

  Construction of the Penn Alto Hotel

  [1]Penn Alto Buildingen.wikipedia.org

  H. L. Stevens & Company designed and completed the building in downtown Altoona as the Penn Alto Hotel.

A historic downtown hotel and residential property whose identity is tied to Altoona’s built heritage and proximity to City Hall.

1. 1Penn Alto Buildingen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Historic American Buildings Survey: Penn Alto Hotel, HABS No. PA-5515loc.gov