{"nrhp_refnum":"78002389","name":"Old Main and Chemistry Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"14th St. between Melrose Ave. and Walnut St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chester","county":"Delaware County","state":"PA","lat":39.86164916600006,"lon":-75.35504811099997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-05-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Old Main and the Chemistry Building form the historic core of Widener College on 14th Street between Melrose Avenue and Walnut Street in Chester, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Old Main is a four-story stone and stucco building constructed in 1867 and designed by John Crump; the adjacent three-story Chemistry Building was added during 1883 renovations, also designed by Crump.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that the buildings are significant for their association with the Pennsylvania Military Academy and later Pennsylvania Military College, which occupied Old Main as its primary quarters from 1867 to 1957. It also cites the architectural work of John Crump, whose design is described as a prime example of Philadelphia architecture in the second half of the 19th century. The institution's long educational history and its standing with the War Department are presented as further grounds.","narrative":"Old Main, a four-story stone and stucco building begun in 1867 and designed by John Crump, stands on 14th Street in Chester, with its dome and matching cupolas rising above a ridge of two pitches. Built to house a military academy of 350 cadets, it combined barracks on the upper floors with classrooms and laboratories on the main floor. An 1883 renovation after a fire added an auditorium, classrooms and dormitory space to the east, and the adjoining three-story Chemistry Building was built that year to move laboratory work out of the dormitory. The buildings served the Pennsylvania Military Academy and Pennsylvania Military College from 1867 to 1957. A U.S. Army officer was permanently assigned to the school from 1869. The complex is significant for its educational role and for Crump's work, which includes the Union League in Philadelphia.","period_of_significance":"1867-1957","architect_builder":"John Crump (architect); John Shedwick (builder)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Old Main is used as the center of administrative services for the College.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:30.281123-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/78002389.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002389/7bd853158c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002389/7bd853158c-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"User:Smallbones at English Wikipedia.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OldMainWidener.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Smallbones at English Wikipedia.</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OldMainWidener.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71995029","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Main_and_Chemistry_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7084441"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/delaware-county/old-main-and-chemistry-building-78002389/"}