{"nrhp_refnum":"96000085","name":"Lutz, John F., Furniture Co. & Funerary","other_names":["Lutz, John F., Property"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"3559 & 3561 St. Lawrence Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"St. Lawrence","county":"Berks County","state":"PA","lat":40.32595087100003,"lon":-75.86391251799995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1996-02-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A commercial complex of three contributing nineteenth and early twentieth century buildings on a hillside lot at 3559 and 3561 St. Lawrence Avenue in the Borough of St. Lawrence, Berks County, Pennsylvania: a brick and frame house with shop, a large brick furniture warehouse and showroom, and a two-story carriage house.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the property is significant for commerce and architecture under Criteria A and C. It documents the growth of the Lutz family furniture and funeral business from 1878 to 1945 and the buildings' changing commercial architecture. The brick warehouse and showroom are compared to turn-of-the-century factory buildings in Reading's outlet district.","narrative":"Three buildings on a hillside lot at 3559 and 3561 St. Lawrence Avenue in the Borough of St. Lawrence, Berks County, record the growth of a family furniture and undertaking business. Mary Ann Lutz bought the lots in 1878, and her son John F. Lutz built a brick Italianate house with a shop there. He added a frame shop wing in 1885 and a brick furniture warehouse and showroom in 1900, which was enlarged in 1928 and 1955. A two-story Italianate carriage house dating from 1896 stands opposite the warehouse. The business, which sold furniture and handled funerals, grew to employ as many as 114 people between 1900 and 1930. The house retains its porch, window sash and interior layout largely intact, and the brick warehouse keeps its pilasters and arched openings. The complex is considered a clear example of a family commercial enterprise developed within a residential setting.","period_of_significance":"1878-1945","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Italianate","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The furniture retail business closed in 1990 and the 1890 barn was razed in 1990; the funeral business moved to Mt. Penn by 1931, and the residence/shop continues in use, with the shop wing used as a picture framing shop.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:37.499544-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/96000085.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96000085/4e58224397-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96000085/4e58224397-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Shuvaev","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_F._Lutz_Furniture_Co_Warehouse,_BerksCo_PA_02.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Shuvaev</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_F._Lutz_Furniture_Co_Warehouse,_BerksCo_PA_02.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71998246","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Lutz_Furniture_Co._%26_Funerary","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6232434"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/berks-county/lutz-john-f-furniture-co-and-funerary-96000085/"}