{"nrhp_refnum":"78002459","name":"Wanamaker, John, Store","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Juniper and Market Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":39.95138916450003,"lon":-75.16214705621458,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-06-02","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1978-06-02","areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Performing Arts"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 12-story commercial department store building occupying the full block bounded by Market, Chestnut, Juniper and Thirteenth Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was designed by Daniel H. Burnham and erected in three stages between 1902 and 1910 by Thompson, Starrett and Company on the site of Wanamaker's Grand Depot.","why_significant":"The building is the oldest and most significant surviving commercial building associated with John Wanamaker, and it stands on the ground of his first department store. Its interior, including the Grand Court, the eighth-floor office, and the Grand Crystal Tea Room, remains largely unaltered. The nomination also emphasizes the store's Wanamaker Organ, the world's largest pipe organ, and Wanamaker's role as an advertising and retailing pioneer.","narrative":"Occupying the full block between Market, Chestnut, Juniper and Thirteenth Streets in Philadelphia, this twelve-story steel-frame store was designed by Daniel H. Burnham and built in three stages between 1902 and 1910 by Thompson, Starrett and Company. Its facades use limestone and granite, with fluted pilasters and a Renaissance base, body and top arrangement. The interior is noted for the Grand Court, which seats 14,000 people and holds the Wanamaker Organ, the world's largest pipe organ, which was bought at the 1904 St. Louis fair and installed in 1911. The eighth floor retains John Wanamaker's office largely as he left it, and the Grand Crystal Tea Room, opened in 1911, was once the largest dining room in Philadelphia. The building is tied to Wanamaker's pioneering advertising and merchandising, and its interior remains largely unaltered.","period_of_significance":"1875-present","architect_builder":"Daniel H. Burnham (architect); Thompson, Starrett Co. (builder)","architectural_style":"Commercial style","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Restored and maintained; in use as a store with restoration of original features under way.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:30.953862-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/78002459_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002459/0b9e05032b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002459/0b9e05032b-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"George E. Thomas, Ph.D., Philadelphia PA","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1001_S_Broad_St_Philadelphia_PA_John_Wanamaker_Clothing_Factory_Washington_Avenue_Historic_District.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">George E. Thomas, Ph.D., Philadelphia PA</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1001_S_Broad_St_Philadelphia_PA_John_Wanamaker_Clothing_Factory_Washington_Avenue_Historic_District.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"84003531","name":"East Center City Commercial Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/east-center-city-commercial-historic-district-84003531/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71994337","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wanamaker_Store","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3503499"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/wanamaker-john-store-78002459/"}