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.
East Center City Commercial Historic District | |
 700 block Chestnut, East Center City Commercial Historic District, April 2010 | |
    | |
| Location | Roughly bounded by 6th, Juniper, Market and Locust Sts., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°57′5″N 75°9′33″W / 39.95139°N 75.15917°W |
| Area | 88 acres (36 ha) |
| Built | 1799 |
| Architectural style | Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Late Victorian, Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 84003531[1] (original) 100002523 (increase) |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | July 5, 1984 |
| Boundary increase | May 24, 2018 |
This district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, and underwent boundary adjustments in 2018.[1]
History
editThe 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.[2]
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.[1][3]
Notable architecture
editNotable 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.[2]
References
edit
- ^ a b c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania". CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on July 21, 2007. Retrieved June 17, 2012. Note: This includes George E. Thomas (March 1984). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: East Center City Commercial Historic District" (PDF). Retrieved June 16, 2012.
- ^ Splain, Shelby Weaver. "Just Listed! PA’s National Register Listings," in "Pennsylvania Historic Preservation." Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office, June 20, 2018.