{"nrhp_refnum":"85000466","name":"Mentzer Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"3 W. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Ephrata","county":"Lancaster County","state":"PA","lat":40.17990050100008,"lon":-76.17845539799998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-03-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A commercial and office building at the corner of Main and State streets in Ephrata, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, built in 1889. It stands in the town's Market district at an oblique intersection.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is an exceptionally sophisticated, nearly intact Queen Anne commercial building, a \"small town skyscraper\" for its time. It is linked to the Mentzer family's economic role in the region and to the town's growth as a regional market. It also hosted the April 1891 town meetings where incorporation was first proposed and approved.","narrative":"Built in 1889 by Allen W. Mentzer at the corner of Main and State streets in Ephrata, this nearly square commercial block displays a regional form of the Queen Anne style, with brick pilasters, segmental and round-headed windows, and a pressed metal cornice. Its first floor has been altered several times, but the upper floors retain a principal stair, grained woodwork, raised-panel doors and a pressed metal ceiling in a rear room. Over the decades it housed clothing stores, a barbershop, an electric and appliance store, a Building and Loan Association, law offices, a music studio and lodges, making it a hub of local commerce and social life. The building is considered important for its architectural sophistication in a small market town and for its link to the Mentzer family, who were active in the local economy through a cigar manufactory. It also served as the venue for the April 1891 town meetings on incorporation.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Allen W. Mentzer (builder)","architectural_style":"Queen Anne","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Shops on the first floor have been altered over time, and the interior has been subdivided and reused for many tenants; the principal stair, grained wood trim and doors are described as intact.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:32.628684-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/85000466.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000466/66db29b5f6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000466/66db29b5f6-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mentzer_B_LanCo_PA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mentzer_B_LanCo_PA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71995479","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentzer_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6817661"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/lancaster-county/mentzer-building-85000466/"}