{"nrhp_refnum":"82003805","name":"1900 Rittenhouse Square Apartments","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1900 S. Rittenhouse Sq.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":39.94847136900006,"lon":-75.17298869999996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-07-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 19-story apartment building on the south side of Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, occupying a 60 by 95 foot site that extends south to Manning Street. It was built between 1923 and 1926.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is important as one of a pair of classicizing tall buildings framing the principal entrance to Rittenhouse Square, and as the project that drew apartment development to the Square. Its Regency revival design, interiors such as the oval lobby and reception room, and its relationship to the neighboring tower are cited as evidence of the architects' talent. The reviewer noted it as a significant example of luxury high-rise apartment design in 1920s Philadelphia.","narrative":"Built between 1923 and 1926 by the New York firm Sugarman, Hess and Berger, this nineteen-story apartment house rises above the south side of Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia. Its lower four stories are sheathed in limestone in a Regency manner, while the shaft above is faced in yellow-gray brick made to resemble the base. The building has two apartments per floor and a roof terrace. Its entrance leads into an oval lobby with paired stone Corinthian pilasters and a sunburst in the terrazzo floor, and its elevator lobby is finished in polished stone and brass. The nomination regards it as an important urban gesture, because its height and proportions respond to the older apartment house across 19th Street and together the two buildings frame the Square's southern entrance. It is also cited as the work that drew further apartment construction to Rittenhouse Square in the following years. The building is a notable example of luxury high-rise apartment design in 1920s Philadelphia.","period_of_significance":"1923-1926","architect_builder":"Sugarman, Hess and Berger","architectural_style":"Regency revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"The document states the building is in generally excellent condition with major spaces intact and original detail in place.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:32.960175-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/82003805.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82003805/3ca0632d1e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82003805/3ca0632d1e-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1900_Rittenhouse_Sq.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1900_Rittenhouse_Sq.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"87002203","name":"Center City West Commercial Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/center-city-west-commercial-historic-district-87002203/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997222","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1900_Rittenhouse_Square_Apartments","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4557749"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/1900-rittenhouse-square-apartments-82003805/"}