William Montgomery House
19-21 South Queen Street

Although its historical significance might not be readily apparent when viewing this building today, it is one of Lancaster's finest Federal period mansions. Built circa 1804 for William Montgomery, it is the only documented local work by architect Stephen Hills, designer of the first Capitol building in Harrisburg. William Montgomery was a prominent Lancaster attorney with numerous real estate investments. (In 1820, he purchased Rock Ford, the former home of General Edward Hand located in Lancaster's Central Park, for use as a tenant farm.) Although the ground floor has been altered by a twentieth-century storefront addition, the original parapeted chimney and fanlight window remain on the south gable wall. While not visible from the street, a bowed section at the rear of the building once contained an elegant elliptical parlor.

[Acquired by the Watt & Shand in 1960, this building has been vacant since the 1995 closure of the department store.]