{"nrhp_refnum":"76001326","name":"Jefferson Standard Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Elm and Market Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Greensboro","county":"Guilford County","state":"NC","lat":36.072959687000036,"lon":-79.79207593599995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-05-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A seventeen-story, steel-frame office tower with granite and terra cotta sheathing at the northwest corner of Elm and Market streets in downtown Greensboro, Guilford County, North Carolina. It was designed by Charles C. Hartmann and completed in 1923 as the headquarters of the Jefferson Standard Life Insurance Company.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it Greensboro's most prominent commercial landmark and says it was reputedly the tallest and largest office building in the South when it was completed in 1923. It is one of the few opulent pre-Depression skyscrapers in North Carolina, with eclectic Classical, Romanesque, Gothic and Art Deco ornament. It also reflects the growth of the insurance company and the vision of its president, Julian Price.","narrative":"Rising seventeen stories at Elm and Market streets in downtown Greensboro, this steel-frame office tower was built in 1922-1923 as the home office of the Jefferson Standard Life Insurance Company. Architect Charles C. Hartmann clad it in granite and terra cotta and mixed Classical, Romanesque, Gothic and Art Deco ornament. The U-shaped plan gives it a twin-tower look, and the design follows the base-shaft-capital tradition. Inside, the lobby has black and white marble floors and terra cotta plaques above the elevators. The company bought the old Guilford County Courthouse site in 1917, and the $2,500,000 building opened in October 1923. At the time it was said to be the largest and tallest office building in the South, housing 129 businesses and about 1,000 employees. It remains a rare example in North Carolina of an opulent skyscraper from the prosperous years before the Depression, and the company still occupies its upper floors.","period_of_significance":"1922-1923","architect_builder":"Charles C. Hartmann (architect); George A. Fuller Construction Company (contractor)","architectural_style":"Eclectic blend of Classical, Romanesque, Gothic and Art Deco elements","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as well maintained and in good condition, occupied, and still the home office of the insurance company, which occupies the top six floors. Alterations include a 1950s entrance remodeling and removal of the roof finials and cupolas.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:58:56.829857-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/38/7205/47720538/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/76001326.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001326/9888cdc856-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001326/9888cdc856-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Rhpotter","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jefferson_Standard_Building_(Greensboro,_North_Carolina)_1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Rhpotter</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jefferson_Standard_Building_(Greensboro,_North_Carolina)_1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47720538","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Standard_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14707991"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/guilford-county/jefferson-standard-building-76001326/"}