The Washington Trust Company Building is a Beaux Arts style commercial building in the central downtown area of

Washington, Pennsylvania Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania. A part of the Greater Pittsburgh area in the southwestern part of the state, the city is home to Washington & Jefferson College and Pony League baseball. The populat ...

. The original 1903 section of the building is six stories tall, a 1927 addition is ten stories. At the start of 2015 it was the largest commercial building in Washington. The original portion of the building was completed in 1903 as the headquarters of the Washington Trust Company, formed by acquisitions and mergers of other financial institutions in 1901. The trust company needed grow from its original rented space in the Swan Building as the banking sector in the area was expanding due to the increase in coal and oil extraction activities. The first floor of the new building housed the bank; professionals including doctors, engineers, insurance and real estate agents occupying the upper floors. Its proximity to the county Courthouse on the opposite side of Main Street made the building a popular address for legal professionals as well. The trust company closed in 1931 when it failed to survive the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. The building was owned by a succession of banks and was sold to a development group in 2013. Even though, as with many smaller cities, the downtown area of Washington suffers from low occupancy, the Washington Trust Company is still home to many of the town's professional offices, as well as a bank on the first floor. In 2012, the

Washington County Redevelopment Authority The Redevelopment Authority of the County of Washington, also known as the Washington County Redevelopment Authority is the redevelopment authority for Washington County, Pennsylvania. It is charged with redeveloping blighted areas and administeri ...

announced Trek Development's development plans for the building, including commercial space, retail, and up to 44 apartments.

References

Buildings and structures in Washington County, Pennsylvania Frederick J. Osterling buildings Washington, Pennsylvania 1903 establishments in Pennsylvania {{Pennsylvania-struct-stub