{"nrhp_refnum":"83004238","name":"Whitehall Apartments","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"410 W. Lancaster Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Haverford","county":"Montgomery County","state":"PA","lat":40.01343652300005,"lon":-75.30239966699997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-12-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"The Whitehall Apartments is a three and one-half story California/Spanish Mission style stucco apartment building on Lancaster Avenue in Haverford, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, west of Haverford College and near the railroad station. It was built in 1925-1926 by the architects Lippincott & Schaef.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is one of the most visually memorable buildings on the Main Line and the first Main Line apartment to provide an internal garage for automobiles, addressing the automobile in its design. It also cites its striking Spanish Mission facade with blue and gold tile attic ornament and its interior plan that gave each apartment privacy while using a central elevator and corridors. The building is presented as an early example of the apartment living that shaped the region's later residential development.","narrative":"Built in 1925-1926 by the architects Lippincott & Schaef, the Whitehall Apartments occupies a prominent site on Lancaster Avenue in Haverford, near Haverford College and the railroad station. The three and one-half story stucco building follows the California/Spanish Mission style, with glazed blue tile in its attic story, red tile roofs, and wrought iron balconies. An E-shaped plan wraps around enclosed courtyards framed by pergolas and wood trellises, and a garage occupies the lower level beneath the building. The Whitehall is regarded as an early example of apartment living on the Main Line, and it is notable for providing covered parking for each apartment, which was unusual in the Philadelphia region at the time. Its owner, Perry Beam, had ties to the motor freight business, and the building reflects the growing influence of the automobile on local design. Its interior combined a marble-trimmed lobby fireplace with traditional Colonial woodwork, while its apartments featured tile fireplaces and separate dining rooms.","period_of_significance":"1925-1926","architect_builder":"Thomas B. Lippincott and Charles Schaef (architects)","architectural_style":"California/Spanish Mission","criteria":[],"status_note":null,"vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:32.927238-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/83004238.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83004238/1100c238cd-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83004238/1100c238cd-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Whitehall_PA_apartments_NRHP.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Whitehall_PA_apartments_NRHP.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71995849","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitehall_Apartments","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7995979"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/montgomery-county/whitehall-apartments-83004238/"}