New Castle, hometown of the world-famous Zambelli Fireworks, was once known for more than colorful blasts.

In the early 1900s, this Lawrence County city could claim the largest tin plate mill in America and Shenango Pottery, which created fine china for Presidents Eisenhower and Johnson. It was also something of a cultural hub, with two opera houses and the Cascade on South Mill Street, Warner Brothers' first silent film theater.

It's no surprise, then, that some of that wealth and culture would be reflected in the houses of its prominent citizens. Recently, two such homes went on the market. One is a 14-room clapboard Victorian at 1005 Butler Ave. priced by Achieve Realty at $279,900. The other is a 40-room limestone manor on East Moody Avenue being offered by Coldwell Banker Real Estate for $1.4 million.

The house on Butler Avenue dates to 1853, when the city counted just 1,600 residents and the manufacture of iron was its principal business. It was built by Christian Genkinger, a German immigrant and liquor dealer who owned a brewery on what is now Paul Street and who was also an owner of the New Castle Opera House on South Mercer Street, which burned down in 1932.

He and his wife, Barbara, had 10 children, and the house, which was added on to in the 1870s, would remain in the Genkinger family until 1972.

When the current owners purchased the three-story house in 2005, it had been abandoned for about eight years. It had a leaky roof, crumbling horsehair plaster walls and a deteriorated front porch. The foundation, however, was sound and all of the original woodwork was intact and unpainted. Six fireplaces and most of the original windows were in place, plus one unexpected luxury -- a metal cage elevator that was probably added sometime in the late 1800s.

Constructed in the then-popular Second Empire style, the 5,000-square-foot house features a mansard roof with fishscale shingles and three dormers. It sits on 6 acres dotted with mature maple, chestnut and fruit trees.

During the year-and-a-half-long renovation, the owners installed new plumbing, electrical service and two furnaces. They also put on a new roof, refinished all of the oak floors on the first floor and rebuilt the front porch.

The double front doors open onto a small foyer with an original tile floor and another set of doors that deposit visitors into the front hall. Here, as in the rest of the first floor, the ceiling stretches almost 14 feet, lending an air of elegance.

The formal parlor lies to the immediate right and includes both a bay window and gas fireplace decorated with an intricate inlaid image of cattails with birds overlooking a pond in the twilight. In the Victorian tradition, there's gold-painted picture molding a few feet below the ceiling to hang artwork.

A previous owner had turned the library into a kitchen in the 1970s. Returned to its original purpose, this room has a lovely marble fireplace and large leaded-glass window overlooking the back yard.

The 23- by 14-foot formal living room has moss-green walls and a pair of 10-foot windows that run to the floor. Working pocket doors open onto the formal dining room, which is graced with a large brick fireplace that's been updated with a wood-burning insert. The room has a built-in china closet and a half-bay offers a view of the governor's drive.

Abandoned sometime in the 1970s, the 16-by-14-foot kitchen has been remodeled with a large center island and a range set into the old chimney. Other turn-of-the-century touches include original oak floors and a century-old oak Tettenborn icebox that was built into the wall and still keeps soda cold in the winter. A pair of windows looks out on the old summer kitchen, which is now used as a garage. A built-in china closet passes through to the butler's pantry, where a new sink and dishwasher allow for cleanup out of view of guests.

The second floor holds four large bedrooms (two with fireplaces) and two full baths. The master bedroom measures 22 by 14 feet and features wide-plank pine floors and a square half-bay. The adjoining master bath has its original pedestal sink and corner tub with original fixtures.

The former servants' quarters at the rear of the house has been converted into a modern bath and adjoining laundry, with a platform whirlpool tub and walk-in shower and cocoa-colored painted wood floors.

The unfinished attic has four more rooms and still contains the immense lead-lined tank that was used to store water in the 1800s.

The meticulously restored, Prairie-influenced Craftsman-style house at 221 E. Moody Ave. is almost three times as large as the Genkinger estate, with 14,000 square feet of living space. Located in the city's North Hill National Register historic district, it's also far more grand.

The house was built as a wedding present for tin mogul James R. Phillips' daughter, Grace, who in 1912 married the equally well-to-do Charles Johnson. Mr. Johnson's father, George, at the time was the world's largest dealer in limestone as well as owner of the Arethusa Iron Works and City Roller Mills.

This mansion has 12 bedrooms, five full baths, four solariums, an indoor lap pool and a 30- by 19-foot marble library. Its exquisite period details include everything from 20-inch crown moldings, judges paneling and reverse-painted windows to a grand staircase that splits at the top.

The paneled formal entrance boasts a mirrored, private vanity area behind the stairs in which visitors could check their makeup after leaving the powder room. The solarium off the front porch -- currently used as an artist's studio -- impresses with an imported tile floor and three walls of leaded-glass transom windows.

The formal living room is grander still, with a beamed ceiling and 6-foot-tall built-in mahogany bookcases on either side of the fireplace. A large bay with a curved window seat includes a leaded-glass window with a painted glass medallion depicting Little Bo Peep, and the 10-foot ceiling still has its original 32-inch crystal chandelier.

Meant for entertaining, the cherry-paneled formal dining room features two built-in china closets and a pair of 2-foot-deep "serving ledges" with tile tops under the windows. There's also a copper-hooded fireplace with a brilliant-blue tile surround. Adding to the room's charm are reverse-painted scenes of the great outdoors above two windows.

The remodeled kitchen marries stainless-steel appliances and custom cherry cabinetry with tiled counters and lots of stained glass. Designed for the serious cook, it has a six-burner Wolf gas range equipped with a pot filler and double ovens.

The focal point of the adjoining hickory-paneled billiard room is a massive wood-burning fireplace that was built from stones gathered by the Phillips children during summer trips through national parks. A poem hand-carved into the hickory mantel attests to the family's love of home:

The 30-by-19-foot library, added in 1928, was made from pink marble imported from Spain and features a vaulted ceiling, heated floor and built-in bookcases. There's also a carved marble balustrade and a wood-burning fireplace with carved stone gargoyles.

The two upper floors are home to 12 bedrooms and five full baths. The master bedroom measures a whopping 28 by 17 feet and is distinguished by doorways with Moorish arches and hand-painted glass. Originally a fifth solarium, the room features a leaded glass ceiling, hand-cut tile floors and two walls of windows. There's also an 8- by 5-foot private vanity area with built-in storage and an adjoining dressing room in the former nursery.

When it was built, the house and its 2 acres included clay tennis courts and a series of ponds connected by copper and brass pipes. It still has a tile-roofed stone pavilion with a stone barbecue, along with a wishing well and a large pond.