{"nrhp_refnum":"01000954","name":"Pennsylvania Match Company","other_names":["Federal Match Corporation Factory","Universal Match Corporation Factory"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"367 Phoenix Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Bellefonte","county":"Centre County","state":"PA","lat":40.90921694300005,"lon":-77.78634217299998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2001-09-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A complex of 18 connected brick industrial buildings at the terminus of Phoenix Avenue beside Spring Creek and the railroad in Bellefonte, Centre County, Pennsylvania, used for match manufacture. Construction began in 1899 and continued into the mid-1900s.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the complex is significant under Criterion A for industry as the site of a major match factory producing a specialized forest product. It is described as the only extant industrial complex in Bellefonte associated with the lumber industry, and it reflects the town's effort to diversify its lumber economy. Production ran from February 1900 to July 1947.","narrative":"Brick factory buildings beside Spring Creek in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, make up a complex of 18 connected structures built from 1899 onward. The Pennsylvania Match Company was organized in September 1899 by four Bellefonte businessmen, including Fountain W. Crider, and began production in February 1900. Architect Robert Cole designed the original buildings, which were one and two stories with slate roofs. The factory made strike-anywhere, parlor, safety and noiseless double-dip matches, and it was among the largest match factories in the country. In 1911 it became a corporation and adopted sesquisulfide of phosphorus in place of white phosphorus. Production ended on July 1, 1947, after peak employment of 400 in January of that year. The complex is significant for its role in Bellefonte's industrial history and its match manufacturing.","period_of_significance":"1900-1947","architect_builder":"Robert Cole (architect)","architectural_style":"No Style","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Production ceased in 1947; the complex was later used for a business office and material storage, and Bellefonte Borough purchased the property. No production machinery remains.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:37.609382-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/01000954.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000954/eedfcb476b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000954/eedfcb476b-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Mgreason at en.wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Match_Factory.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Mgreason at en.wikipedia</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Match_Factory.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71994620","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Match_Company","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7164006"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/centre-county/pennsylvania-match-company-01000954/"}