Bost Building
Encyclopedia
The Bost Building, also known as Columbia Hotel, is located on East Eighth Avenue (PA 837
) in Homestead
, Pennsylvania, United States. Built just before the 1892 Homestead Strike
, it was used as headquarters by the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers
and for reporters covering the confrontation. It is the only significant building associated with the strike that remains intact. It is a contributing property
to the Homestead Historic District
.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1999. After some use as a rooming house and hotel, today it is part of the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area.
and topped with a flat asphalt roof.
Bands
of stone run along the slightly skewed south (front) facade
at the tops of all six windows on the upper stories, forming lintels to complement the similar sills. The roofline is marked with stepped brick corbel
s on the south and east. At the ground level on the east is a glass and aluminum storefront.
Inside, the first floor serves as a museum, with original floorboards and period wallpaper. One room has exhibits devoted to the history of the strike, the other to the building's restoration
. The second and third stories consist of guest rooms that have been left largely intact since the strike. At the second floor stair landing, and the top of the stair, there is a section where the paint has peeled off and exposed graffiti
on the underlying plaster. Pencilled in are the words "Homestead 1892" and some names. It is possible that it was left during the strike.
, which at the time were just next door, it had not entirely been finished inside when the company locked out
its workers, precipitating the eventual strike. The union found it an ideal headquarters, since its upper floors had a commanding view of the factory next door. Reporters from American and British newspapers who covered the strike wired home their dispatches from a telegraph office on the first story. Deputy sheriffs and Pinkerton
men taken captive during some of the violent confrontations were held at the Bost Building to protect them from retribution.
After the strike, the building did become a hotel and rooming house, although it was never successful in the long term. The only significant change to it was the alteration of the storefront during the 20th century, and some changes to the upper floors during its late 20th century renovation to comply with contemporary fire codes.
Pennsylvania Route 837
Pennsylvania Route 837 is a state route located in western Pennsylvania. The southern terminus of the route is at Pennsylvania Route 88 in the Carroll Township hamlet of Wickerham Manor. The northern terminus is at U.S. Route 19 and Pennsylvania Route 51 in downtown Pittsburgh at the junction of...
) in Homestead
Homestead, Pennsylvania
Homestead is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, in the "Mon Valley," southeast of downtown Pittsburgh and directly across the river from the city limit line. The borough is known for the Homestead Strike of 1892, an important event in the history of labor relations in the United...
, Pennsylvania, United States. Built just before the 1892 Homestead Strike
Homestead Strike
The Homestead Strike was an industrial lockout and strike which began on June 30, 1892, culminating in a battle between strikers and private security agents on July 6, 1892. It was one of the most serious disputes in U.S. labor history...
, it was used as headquarters by the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers
Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers
Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers was an American labor union formed in 1876 and which represented iron and steel workers. It partnered with the Steel Workers Organizing Committee, CIO, in November, 1935...
and for reporters covering the confrontation. It is the only significant building associated with the strike that remains intact. It is a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
to the Homestead Historic District
Homestead Historic District
The Homestead Historic District is a historic district in Homestead, Munhall, and West Homestead, Pennsylvania that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990....
.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1999. After some use as a rooming house and hotel, today it is part of the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area.
Building
The building is 40 by, located at the corner of East Eighth and Heisel Avenue. It is three stories high, faced in brick laid in common bond, resting on a stone foundationFoundation (architecture)
A foundation is the lowest and supporting layer of a structure. Foundations are generally divided into two categories: shallow foundations and deep foundations.-Shallow foundations:...
and topped with a flat asphalt roof.
Bands
Course (architecture)
A course is a continuous horizontal layer of similarly-sized building material one unit high, usually in a wall. The term is almost always used in conjunction with unit masonry such as brick, cut stone, or concrete masonry units .-Styles:...
of stone run along the slightly skewed south (front) facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
at the tops of all six windows on the upper stories, forming lintels to complement the similar sills. The roofline is marked with stepped brick corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
s on the south and east. At the ground level on the east is a glass and aluminum storefront.
Inside, the first floor serves as a museum, with original floorboards and period wallpaper. One room has exhibits devoted to the history of the strike, the other to the building's restoration
Building restoration
Building restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
. The second and third stories consist of guest rooms that have been left largely intact since the strike. At the second floor stair landing, and the top of the stair, there is a section where the paint has peeled off and exposed graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
on the underlying plaster. Pencilled in are the words "Homestead 1892" and some names. It is possible that it was left during the strike.
History
Intended as a hotel for new hires or prospective hires at the growing Homestead Steel WorksHomestead Steel Works
Homestead Steel Works was a large steel works located on the Monongahela River at Homestead, Pennsylvania in the United States. It developed in the nineteenth century as an extensive plant served by tributary coal and iron fields, a railway long, and a line of lake steamships...
, which at the time were just next door, it had not entirely been finished inside when the company locked out
Lockout
Lockout may refer to:* Lockout , a type of work stoppage* Lockout * Lockout chip, a computer chip in a video game system to prevent use of unauthorized software* Lock-out device, part of a signaling system used on game shows...
its workers, precipitating the eventual strike. The union found it an ideal headquarters, since its upper floors had a commanding view of the factory next door. Reporters from American and British newspapers who covered the strike wired home their dispatches from a telegraph office on the first story. Deputy sheriffs and Pinkerton
Pinkerton National Detective Agency
The Pinkerton National Detective Agency, usually shortened to the Pinkertons, is a private U.S. security guard and detective agency established by Allan Pinkerton in 1850. Pinkerton became famous when he claimed to have foiled a plot to assassinate president-elect Abraham Lincoln, who later hired...
men taken captive during some of the violent confrontations were held at the Bost Building to protect them from retribution.
After the strike, the building did become a hotel and rooming house, although it was never successful in the long term. The only significant change to it was the alteration of the storefront during the 20th century, and some changes to the upper floors during its late 20th century renovation to comply with contemporary fire codes.