{"nrhp_refnum":"03000077","name":"Larkin-Belber Building","other_names":["Larkin Building","Belber Trunk &amp","Bag Company Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2200-2218 Arch St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":39.95585440000008,"lon":-75.17640259199999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2003-02-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Industry","Commerce"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A twelve-story Commercial Style industrial building with a reinforced concrete mushroom column and slab frame at 2200-2218 Arch Street, at the southwest corner of 22nd and Arch Streets in Philadelphia. Built 1912-1913 by the Larkin Company.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is significant at the local level for its role in national consumer manufacturing, warehousing, and merchandising, associated with the Larkin and Belber companies. It also argues the building is a fine and early example of exposed reinforced concrete construction and one of the earliest in Philadelphia to use mushroom column and slab construction.","narrative":"Built in 1912-1913 at the western edge of Philadelphia's original city limits, this twelve-story reinforced concrete building was erected by the Larkin Company of Buffalo as a factory, warehouse, and showroom. Its frame uses mushroom columns and concrete slabs, and the building is regarded as one of the earliest in Philadelphia to use this method. Larkin operated the facility until 1920, when the Belber Trunk and Bag Company bought it and ran it in much the same way, renting lower floors to the Philadelphia Daily News and garment makers. The building illustrates how Larkin's soap and premium-gift marketing, which relied on national catalogs, door-to-door clubs, and rail-connected distribution, was supported by integrated urban facilities. Belber left in 1947, and the building has been vacant since about 1980. It was listed for its association with national consumer industry and for its early concrete construction.","period_of_significance":"1912-1947","architect_builder":"C.J. Heckman (architect), Larkin Company of Buffalo (builder)","architectural_style":"Commercial Style","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Vacant since c. 1980; ground floor openings filled and windows broken, though the concrete structure and facades are described as in good condition.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:36.522497-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/03000077.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000077/82d7da188a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000077/82d7da188a-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Larkin_Belber_1.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Larkin_Belber_1.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997322","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larkin%E2%80%93Belber_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6489630"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/larkin-belber-building-03000077/"}