{"nrhp_refnum":"99001196","name":"Consumers Cigar Box Company","other_names":["Red Lion Woodcraft Inc."],"category":"building","location":{"address":"121 First Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Red Lion","county":"York County","state":"PA","lat":39.89665394800005,"lon":-76.60544175199993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1999-09-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A large two-story L-shaped former cigar box factory of concrete block and brick at N. Charles Street and First Avenue in the center of Red Lion, York County, Pennsylvania. It was built in phases beginning in 1921 for the Consumers Cigar Box Company.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the factory is significant for its association with cigar box manufacturing, a key part of Red Lion's tobacco industry, and as a locally significant example of early-to-mid 20th century tobacco industry architecture. It was the largest cigar box manufacturer in the borough for over two decades and the only one owned by a group of local businessmen.","narrative":"Built in phases from 1921 to 1936 on N. Charles Street and First Avenue in Red Lion, this two-story L-shaped factory of concrete block and brick was built for the Consumers Cigar Box Company, organized in 1921 by local cigar and furniture businessmen. The plant opened in March 1922 with a capacity of 7,500 boxes per day, which doubled after a 1925 addition. By 1928 it employed 104 workers, and by 1935 it employed 125 in making cigar boxes and distributing box lumber. Red Lion had once had as many as 150 cigar factories, and the company's output supported the town's cigar trade until it declined in the late 1930s. The company was renamed Red Lion Woodcraft, Inc. by 1948 and turned to furniture and other products. The building is regarded as a fine example of tobacco industry architecture in the region, with its original stepped parapets, pilasters, and tripled nine-over-nine windows. It has been vacant since 1979.","period_of_significance":"1921 - 1949","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"No Style","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The building is vacant; all machinery has been removed and no significant manufacturing has taken place since 1979.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:36.597271-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/99001196.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99001196/1e954dedc3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99001196/1e954dedc3-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_Lion_Consumers_Cigar_Box_YorkCo_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:Red_Lion_Consumers_Cigar_Box_YorkCo_PA.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"00000847","name":"Red Lion Borough Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/red-lion-borough-historic-district-00000847/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997972","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumers_Cigar_Box_Company","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5164739"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/york-county/consumers-cigar-box-company-99001196/"}