Greensburg in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor

Traveling the Highway

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 31, 2016

1. Traveling the Highway Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Lincoln Highway hotels possessed a mystique lacked by the more basic tourist cabins. Doormen carried the visitors' bags, and dinner was served by a waiter rather than from a tin can at a campsite. Seven hotels were located in the City of Greensburg in the 1920s. The Rappe Hotel, famous for its wild game and local farm delicacies, stood on this corner. The Cope Hotel was at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Pittsburgh Street. There, rooms ran between $1.00 and $3.00 a night. The eight-story Penn Albert Hotel (near the Train Station) has since been converted to senior citizen apartments. Over the years, some of these downtown hotels were torn down or converted to other uses; others gave way to the motels built on the outskirts of town.

Follow signs like this to travel the historic route in Pennsylvania and to visit other exhibit sites along the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor.
www.LHHC.org
This exhibit was funded In part by a Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Grant
and a Federal Transportation Enhancement Award.

Erected by Lincoln

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Highway Heritage Corridor.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Lincoln Highway series list.

Location. 40° 18.189′ N, 79° 32.744′ W. Marker is in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, in Westmoreland County. Marker is at the intersection of West Otterman Street (Lincoln Highway) and South Pennsylvania Avenue, on the left when traveling west on West Otterman Street (Lincoln Highway). Marker is mounted at eye-level on the Westmoreland County Tax Office building, at the southwest corner of the intersection. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 40 North Pennsylvania Avenue, Greensburg PA 15601, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Westmoreland County (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Train Station at Greensburg (about 500 feet away); Arthur Saint Clair (approx. 0.2 miles away); Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill (approx. 0.2 miles away); One Academy Hill Place (approx. ¼ mile away); First Presbyterian Church of Greensburg (approx. ¼ mile away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); Huff Mansion (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Greensburg.

Also see . . .
1. Greensburg Downtown Historic District: Penn-Albert Hotel

Marker detail: Hotel Cope at the corner of Pittsburgh Street and Pennsylvania Avenue image. Click for full size.

Courtesy Wib & Margie Albright, Greenburg, PA from The Burgh of Green in Pictures Seen

2. Marker detail: Hotel Cope at the corner of Pittsburgh Street and Pennsylvania Avenue

. The Penn-Albert Hotel opened in 1923, one of the city's tallest structures, now used as housing for senior citizens. A ballroom ("Crystal Room") was on the mezzanine level, and at the very top there was a roof garden for dancing and other events. The two highest guestroom floors, marked by a decorative frieze on the facade, were initially used for suites designed for long-term occupancy. (Submitted on September 8, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Greensburg Downtown Historic District: Cope Hotel. Cope Hotel was one of Greensburg's oldest hotels, built in 1893, a Romanesque Revival red brick building with three stories, plus an attic level and a basement level with retail outlets fronting on South Pennsylvania Avenue. It bears the name of Cyrus P. Cope, who operated a tavern on this site, and was the owner of the hotel when built. (Submitted on September 8, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Marker detail: Penn Albert Hotel image. Click for full size.

Postcard courtesy of LHHC archives

3. Marker detail: Penn Albert Hotel

Known as Greensburg’s "Million Dollar Hotel," the Penn Albert Hotel had 200 outside rooms, dining room, grille, and fireproof construction.

Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 31, 2016

4. Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor Marker

Penn Tower Apartments (<i>southwest elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 31, 2016

5. Penn Tower Apartments (southwest elevation)

Penn Albert Hotel - repurposed as apartment building
(one block north of marker, between Harrison Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue)

Cope Hotel Building (<i>west elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 31, 2016

6. Cope Hotel Building (west elevation)

(one block south of marker, on Pennsylvania Avenue at Pittsburgh Street)

Pennsylvania State Police • Lincoln Highway Mural image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 31, 2016

7. Pennsylvania State Police • Lincoln Highway Mural

(two blocks southwest of marker, on Pittsburgh Street)

Credits. This page was last revised on September 8, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 8, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 147 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on September 8, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.