{"nrhp_refnum":"12000795","name":"Richman Brothers Company, The","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1600 E. 55th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cleveland","county":"Cuyahoga County","state":"OH","lat":41.515640492000045,"lon":-81.65282999299995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2012-09-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Industry"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A five- and six-story Commercial Style brick and reinforced concrete clothing factory and headquarters at 1600 East 55th Street, Cleveland, Ohio. The original building was completed in 1916, with five major additions between 1924 and 1929.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is architecturally significant as an award-winning factory designed by Christian, Schwarzenburg & Gaede with architect Dana Clark. It is also significant to industry as the headquarters of the Richman Brothers Company, a leading men's clothier reported as the first and largest in the country to house all clothes-making operations under one roof. The company was noted for direct-to-customer sales and for employee benefits and paternalistic labor relations.","narrative":"Richman Brothers Company, a men's clothing maker founded in 1879, moved in 1916 into a purpose-built factory at 1600 East 55th Street in Cleveland. The original E-shaped, four-story brick and reinforced concrete building was designed by the engineering firm Christian, Schwarzenburg & Gaede, with architect Dana Clark shaping the exterior. Between 1924 and 1929 five major additions expanded it to more than 17 acres of floor space. Steel sash windows, patterned brick and blue, green and yellow terra cotta tiles mark the exterior. The factory won a 1918 medal of merit and was reported as the first and largest in the country to place all clothing production under one roof. The company sold directly to customers and was known for paid vacations, insurance and pensions for workers, and it was never unionized. The building has been vacant since 1992, and the surrounding neighborhood has many vacant lots and buildings.","period_of_significance":"1915-1962","architect_builder":"Christian, Schwarzenburg & Gaede, Dana Clark / Hunkin-Conkey Construction Co. (original building); Sam W. Emerson Company (additions)","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements: Commercial Style","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Vacant since 1992; described as in fair to good condition, with many windows boarded or infilled and poor to fair window condition.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:07.480399-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/12000795.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12000795/f34a2633bf-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12000795/f34a2633bf-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Richman_Brothers_abandoned_factory.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Richman_Brothers_abandoned_factory.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71987695","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q137681815"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/cuyahoga-county/richman-brothers-company-the-12000795/"}