Larkin–Belber Building

Larkin–Belber Building, also known as the Larkin Building and Belber Trunk & Bag Company Building, is a historic light manufacturing loft building located in the Logan Square neighborhood of Philadelphia.

Larkin–Belber Building
Larkin–Belber Building, April 2010
Location2200-2218 Arch St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates39°57′21″N 75°10′36″W
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
ArchitectHeckman, C.J.; Rothschild, Leroy B.
Architectural styleEarly Commercial
NRHP reference No.03000077[1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 27, 2003

History
Belber Building in 1921

It was built in 1912–1913, and is a 12-story, reinforced concrete building. The building has 295,360 square feet of floor space.[2] Originally designed by The Ballinger Company for Larkin Company, a soap maker.[3]

In 1920 Belber purchased the building. The company 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 property for production. For a few years up to 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.[4]

National Register of Historic Places

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.[1]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Note: This includes Dominic Vitello and George E. Thomas (October 2002). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Larkin/Belber Building" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-06-16.
  3. Buildings for Commerce and Industry. The Ballinger Company. 1924. p. 20.
  4. "One building's long, strange trip". Philadelphia Business Journal. 2004-02-23.
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