Cement City
Donora, Washington County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Located four blocks to the west. Built 1916-17 as housing for employees at American Steel & Wire's Donora plant. A community of 100 units in 80 Prairie-style buildings, noted for the innovative use of poured-in-place concrete construction. One of several concrete communities built in the U.S. during this era, Cement City survived to house successive generations of families. A National Register Historic District.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Built in 1916–17 to house workers at American Steel & Wire's Donora plant, Cement City was a planned community of 100 units in 80 Prairie-style buildings. Its buildings were poured in place from concrete — an experimental construction method meant to deliver durable, affordable company housing quickly. One of several such concrete communities across the country in that era, it endured to shelter generations of steelworkers' families and is now a National Register Historic District.
Why it matters
Cement City reflects the Progressive-era experiment in industrial welfare and modern building technology, when steel companies reshaped how — and where — American workers lived.
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