National Register of Historic Places

East Center City Commercial Historic District

Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Listed
July 4, 1984
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
84003531

About this property

The East Center City Commercial Historic District is a national historic district located in the Washington Square neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It encompasses 287 contributing structures, including large and small commercial buildings, banks, hotels, newspapers, clubs, and restaurants. This district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, and underwent boundary adjustments in 2018. The nomination form requesting placement of this historic district on the National Register of Historic Places was completed by George E. Thomas, PhD of the Clio Group, Inc. on March 6, 1984. Following reviews by state and national historic preservation committees, the district was officially listed on the National Register in 1984. In 2018, approval was sought and obtained to revise the district's boundaries from those defined on the original NRHP nomination form. In addition, the historical period of significance for this district was expanded to facilitate the addition to this listing of historically significant structures which had been erected after 1934. As a result, twenty-eight additional contributing elements were subsequently added, including the Rohm and Haas headquarters building. Notable buildings in Philadelphia's East Center City Commercial Historic District include the Curtis Publishing Co. (1907), Lits Department Store (1891), Strawbridge and Clothier (1868), Gimbels (1894), Benjamin Franklin Hotel (1922), New York Mutual Life Insurance Company Building (1872, 1890), Aldelphia Hotel (1912), Blum Store (1927), Keystone National Bank (1884), Beck Engraving and "The Press" (1896), Integrity Trust (1923), Quaker City Bank (1892), Philadelphia Club, the Old Federal Reserve Bank (1932), U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, Walnut Street Theatre, and Forrest Theater. It also includes a set of 3 1/2-story townhouses designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe for William Sansom.

Location

Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
39.95125, -75.15698

Categories

COMMERCEARCHITECTURECOMMUNICATIONS
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Native Heritage
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Nearby Historic Sites

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church
Civil War
0 mi
New York Mutual Life Insurance Company Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
Old Federal Reserve Bank
Early Republic
0.1 mi
Estey Hall
Industrial
0.1 mi
Globe Ticket Company Building
Industrial
0.1 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Germantown Oct 4 1777
1777Revolutionary War
3.3 mi
Battle of Gloucester (NJ) 1777
1777Revolutionary War
4.5 mi
Battle of Barren Hill
1778Revolutionary War
5 mi

Questions about this property

When was East Center City Commercial Historic District listed on the National Register?

East Center City Commercial Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 4, 1984.

What type of historic resource is East Center City Commercial Historic District?

East Center City Commercial Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for East Center City Commercial Historic District?

The period of significance for East Center City Commercial Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near East Center City Commercial Historic District?

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