{"nrhp_refnum":"86003579","name":"Middishade Clothing Factory","other_names":["C.C. Knight Factory"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1600 Callowhill St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":39.86126547600003,"lon":-75.16516959399996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-01-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A six-story reinforced concrete manufacturing building erected in 1908 at the southwest corner of Sixteenth and Callowhill streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, built for the apparel firm Middishade. Its two public facades are clad in brick and terra cotta.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is one of the last survivors of Philadelphia's apparel industry, which was the city's largest employer for much of the twentieth century. It also cites the firm's role as a major producer of blue serge suits and a pioneer in national advertising, and it describes the building as a well-preserved early twentieth-century factory with a high degree of interior and exterior integrity.","narrative":"Built in 1908 at the southwest corner of Sixteenth and Callowhill streets in Philadelphia, the six-story reinforced concrete factory was designed by Watson and Huckel. Its two public facades are sheathed in brick and terra cotta with corner pavilions and renaissance-style detailing, while the side and rear walls expose the concrete frame. Inside, the poured concrete columns, beams and slabs remain visible, along with fire towers, freight elevator access and a double-height first floor. The building was constructed for the Middishade clothing firm, founded in 1899, which by 1929 employed 700 workers and was the largest ready-to-wear clothier in the city. The company specialized in blue serge suits, a popular garment of the 1920s office workforce, and marketed them nationally through advertising. The nomination presents the building as a well-preserved example of the factories that once surrounded downtown Philadelphia, reflecting the scale of the city's apparel industry.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"Watson and Huckel","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Two exterior alterations are noted: the original pressed metal cornice was removed, and an imitation granite entrance was added at the southeast corner.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:33.741047-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/86003579.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003579/5f42ef1c73-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003579/5f42ef1c73-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1600_Callowhill.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1600_Callowhill.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997320","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middishade_Clothing_Factory","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6841173"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/middishade-clothing-factory-86003579/"}