{"nrhp_refnum":"90000413","name":"Tacony Music Hall","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"4815--19 Longshore Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":40.02454640900004,"lon":-75.04203917599995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-03-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick commercial and assembly building on a corner lot in the Tacony section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, built in 1885 to hold rental shops, a music hall and a library. It was built as a speculative venture by Frank W. Jordan.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building documents the social history of Tacony, the industrial settlement Henry Disston laid out around his saw works. Its music hall served as the cultural, social and recreational center of the community and as meeting space for local clubs and lodges. The building also housed the Disston Library and Free Reading Room, which reflected the Disston family's paternalist social outlook.","narrative":"Built in 1885 by Frank W. Jordan, a druggist and speculator, the three-story brick block in Tacony, Philadelphia, combined rental shops on its ground floor, a second-floor music hall and third-floor library rooms. The second floor held an auditorium used for musical revues, variety shows, lectures and club meetings, and it became the community's cultural and social centre. The Keystone Association, later renamed the Disston Library and Free Reading Room, occupied the upper story, and Henry Disston's family provided financial support. Performers recorded at the hall included P.T. Barnum and Susan B. Anthony. The library moved out in 1906, and the hall declined as motion pictures grew in popularity. The building is listed for its association with the social and recreational life of a company town, with its features largely intact, including the metal-ceilinged auditorium and the committee room.","period_of_significance":"1885-1906","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Late Victorian; Romanesque","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"The building is being rehabilitated under the federal historic preservation tax credit; the stage has been demolished and the building was converted to a furniture warehouse by World War Two.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:37.542685-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/90000413.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000413/cad6d4255f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000413/cad6d4255f-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"HABS photographer","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tacony_Music_Hall_HABS.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">HABS photographer</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tacony_Music_Hall_HABS.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"16000257","name":"Tacony Disston Community Development Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/tacony-disston-community-development-historic-district-16000257/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997556","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacony_Music_Hall","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7674054"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/tacony-music-hall-90000413/"}