Teller Cigar Factory
Why it's listed
Built in the mid-1860s by Jessias Reller as a cigar workshop, this plastered stone and brick building on North Main Street in Sellersville was the borough's first large cigar factory. Its two sections, the older one with slate roof and 4/4 sash windows and the 1895 brick wing with 2/2 Victorian windows, are plain and utilitarian with almost no ornament. In 1879 the factory was sold at a sheriff's sale and leased to the Frank Teller Cigar Company, which employed around 120 cigar makers by 1895 and gave the building its common name. The 1895 addition, built after the Progressive Real Estate Company bought the property, doubled capacity. The building marks the transition from home-based cigar making to large factory production. It remained a visible part of the town's industrial history after the trade declined in the 1920s.
Significance in brief: The building is significant for its association with Sellersville's cigar industry. It was the first full-scale cigar factory in the borough and the oldest cigar factory building extant there, and it served as a major employer for over five decades. The 1895 addition made it the largest cigar factory in Sellersville at the height of the industry.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 86003567, listed January 6, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 340 N. Main St., Sellersville |
|---|---|
| County | Bucks County |
| Listed | January 6, 1987 |
| Reference number | 86003567 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1866-1895 |
| Architect / builder | A.L. Clymer (builder of 1895 addition); Jessias Reller (original construction of mid-1860s) |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Industry |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a warehouse by a plumbing and heating supply company and a tile and floor covering company in recent years; date of closure not yet discovered. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 40.36198, -75.31289 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 86003567.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7697588
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.