Terminal Commerce Building
National Register of Historic Places

Terminal Commerce Building

Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Listed
October 23, 1996
Type
Building
Period
Civil War
Ref No.
96001203

About this property

The Terminal Commerce Building, also known as the North American Building, is a historic American building complex that is located in the Callowhill neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996, it is a contributing property to the Callowhill Industrial Historic District. Built between 1929 and 1931 by the Reading Company, this historic complex is a combined office building, showroom, parking garage, warehouse, and freight station with more than 1.3 million square feet. It measures 528 feet by 225 feet. The front section houses offices, and is a fourteen-story, reinforced concrete, brick and terra cotta-faced building that was designed in the Art Deco style. The front facade has a central tower with terra cotta ornamentation that houses water tanks. The rear warehouse section is twelve stories tall and is H-shaped. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. It is a contributing property to the Callowhill Industrial Historic District. Today, the building serves as one of the largest interconnection and colocation facilities on the east coast of the United States. The property was acquired by Netrality Properties in March 2014, and is considered the most fiber-dense, network-neutral facility between New York and Virginia.

Location

401 N. Broad St.
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
39.95994, -75.15464

Categories

ARCHITECTURECOMMERCEENGINEERING
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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The Civil War
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The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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Nearby Historic Sites

Philadelphia Wholesales Drug Company Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
Smaltz Building
Industrial
0.2 mi
Schoettle, Edwin J., Company Building
Industrial
0.2 mi
Callowhill Industrial Historic District
Industrial
0.3 mi
General Electric Switchgear Plant
Industrial
0.3 mi

Nearby Battles

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

Questions about this property

When was Terminal Commerce Building listed on the National Register?

Terminal Commerce Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 23, 1996.

What type of historic resource is Terminal Commerce Building?

Terminal Commerce Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Terminal Commerce Building?

The period of significance for Terminal Commerce Building is recorded as the civil_war era.

Can I research the history near Terminal Commerce Building?

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