National Register of Historic Places

Larkin-Belber Building

Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Listed
February 27, 2003
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
03000077

About this property

The Larkin–Belber Building, also known as the Larkin Building and the Belber Trunk & Bag Company Building, is an historic light manufacturing loft building in the Logan Square neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. Built between 1912 and 1913, this historic structure is a twelve-story, reinforced concrete building with 295,360 square feet of floor space. It was originally designed by Buffalo architect C.J. Heckman for Larkin Company, a soapmaker. In 1920, Belber purchased the building. The company subsequently hired local architect Leroy Berman Rothschild to place Belber's own stamp on the building. Rothshild designed large rooftop signs placed along the sides of the building. In its architecture as well as its integration of manufacturing, office work, and retail functions, the Belber Building represented a "landmark of twentieth century commerce and industry." Belber vacated the property in 1947 and Robert Hall Clothes took over the building in order to use it for production. Later, for a few years, up until 1964, the building was leased to the Philadelphia Daily News. In 1983, a developer acquired the building for a conversion to office space; however, those plans did not materialize. By 2004, the building had maintenance problems that led to pieces breaking off and falling onto the street. Orens Brothers Inc. acquired the property and converted it to condominiums. National Register of Historic Places listings in Center City, Philadelphia

Location

2200-2218 Arch St.
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
39.95585, -75.17640

Categories

ARCHITECTUREINDUSTRYCOMMERCE
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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Nearby Historic Sites

WCAU Studios
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0.1 mi
College of Physicians of Philadelphia Building
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0.2 mi
St. Clement's Protestant Episcopal Church
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0.2 mi
Shedwick, John, Development Houses
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0.2 mi
Board of Education Building
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0.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Germantown Oct 4 1777
1777Revolutionary War
2.3 mi
Battle of Barren Hill
1778Revolutionary War
4 mi
Battle of Gloucester (NJ) 1777
1777Revolutionary War
5.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Larkin-Belber Building listed on the National Register?

Larkin-Belber Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 27, 2003.

What type of historic resource is Larkin-Belber Building?

Larkin-Belber Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Larkin-Belber Building?

The period of significance for Larkin-Belber Building is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Larkin-Belber Building?

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