Downtown Harrisburg in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Kunkel Building
This building was erected in 1914 as the home of the Mechanics Trust Company, a Harrisburg bank that later went "bust" during the Depression. the Bank was one of many of the era that made Harrisburg the region's financial center, a role the city has expanded in the present day. It also served as one of Harrisburg's first high-rise office buildings, contributing to the early 20th Century urbanization of City Center. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the building is architecturally unique through its white, glazed terra cotta, tiled exterior. In 1925, the structure was expanded from six bays to ten bays in depth through the application of the identical architectural style and height to that of the original structure. Originally known as the Kunkel Building in honor of Charles Kunkel, Chairman of the Mechanics Trust Company, the structure now serves as a tower for arts organizations with the Susquehanna Art Museum occupying the strikingly designed first three floor.
[Caption:]
Circa 1920 view of the Kunkel Building, complete with awnings, reveals the structure prior to its rear addition.
Erected by The Harrisburg History Project Commissioned by Mayor Stephen R. Reed.
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Location. 40° 15.652′ N, 76° 52.847′ W. Marker is in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in Dauphin County. It is in Downtown Harrisburg. It is at the intersection of Market Street and S. Third Street, on the left when traveling east on Market Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 225 Market St, Harrisburg PA 17101, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Pennsylvania, specifically in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and in the Susquehanna Valley. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: T. Morris Chester (a few steps from this marker); Thomas Morris Chester (a few steps from this marker); Lochiel Hotel and Colonial Theater (a few steps from this marker); Strawberry Square Phase II (within shouting distance of this marker); William Seel Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Old Dauphin County Courthouses
Photographed by William Pfingsten, March 21, 2008
2. Kunkel Building Marker
This is a previous iteration of the marker. Note that the inscription is identical to the current version.
September 29, 2016
3. Kunkel Building and Marker
Photographed by William Pfingsten, March 21, 2008
4. Kunkel Building
Photographed by John K. Robinson, April 1, 2010
5. Kunkel Building seen from the south on Third Street.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 5, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 26, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 2,472 times since then and 51 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 5, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 2. submitted on March 26, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. 3. submitted on December 29, 2021. 4. submitted on March 26, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. 5. submitted on April 18, 2010, by John K. Robinson of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
