{"nrhp_refnum":"85003115","name":"Peters Cartridge Company","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1915 Grandin Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Kings Mills","county":"Warren County","state":"OH","lat":39.35023168050006,"lon":-84.24268234737262,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-10-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Science","Architecture","Invention"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"An industrial ammunition manufacturing complex at 1915 Grandin Road in Kings Mills, Warren County, Ohio, made up of seven reinforced concrete buildings in four structures plus a shot tower, built 1916-1918 beside the Little Miami River.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the complex is an outstanding example of World War I era industrial architecture, functional yet attractive, especially for rural Warren County. It also records Peters Cartridge as a leader in ammunition research and development and as a major local employer. The rare shot tower is described as unparalleled in the state.","narrative":"Along Grandin Road in Kings Mills, Ohio, a group of reinforced concrete factory buildings recalls the days when Peters Cartridge Company made shotgun shells, metal cartridges and primers beside the Little Miami River. Construction began in 1916 and finished in 1918 as wartime orders surged. Dark red brick, geometric tile and cast stone decorate the concrete grids, and a tall shot tower modeled on an Italian Renaissance watchtower dominates the site, along with a 250-foot chimney. Detroit architects VanLeyen and Schilling are credited with the surviving drawings. The company grew from a shell-loading business founded in 1887 by G. M. Peters and was tied to the neighboring King Powder Company. It pursued research in ballistics photography and ammunition design. Remington bought the firm in 1934 and left in 1944. Later tenants included Columbia Records and a bonded warehouse. The buildings now stand empty and stripped, but the complex is valued for its architecture, its shot tower and its place in Ohio's ammunition industry.","period_of_significance":"1916 - 1918","architect_builder":"VanLeyer, Schilling and Keough Assoc. (the text also names VanLeyen and Schilling, Architects, of Detroit)","architectural_style":"Reinforced concrete industrial buildings with dark red brick veneer and Prairie Style geometric polychrome tile; shot tower in the form of an Italian Renaissance watchtower","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as vacant and unoccupied; the buildings have been stripped, vandalized and mined for salvage, though described as basically sound.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:14.541219-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/85003115.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85003115/98ca89ac51-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85003115/98ca89ac51-1600.webp","licence":"No restrictions","author":"Internet Archive Book Images","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Breeder_and_sportsman_(1913)_(20223402888).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Internet Archive Book Images</a>, <a href=\"https://www.flickr.com/commons/usage/\" rel=\"license noopener\">No restrictions</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Breeder_and_sportsman_(1913)_(20223402888).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71991865","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peters_Cartridge_Company","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7178120"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/warren-county/peters-cartridge-company-85003115/"}