Nissly-Stauffer Tobacco Warehouses
Why it's listed
Two brick warehouses on North Arch and North Mulberry Streets in Lancaster City were built around 1912 and 1913 for tobacco storage. The three-story Nissly Warehouse at 322-24 North Arch Street has common bond brick walls on limestone foundations, segmental arch window openings with six over six sash, and a corbelled cornice. The five-story Stauffer Warehouse at 317-19 North Mulberry Street was built by contractor Samuel H. Bally for Charles F. and B. Grant Stauffer and leased for tobacco storage. Lancaster City was the center of tobacco storage and processing for Lancaster County, and the city had 100 tobacco warehouses by the end of the nineteenth century. The buildings are representative of the industrial architecture of that period. Their interiors retain large open spaces, wooden floors and post and beam framing, and both have kept most of their original windows, doors and brickwork, with changes that are regarded as reversible.
Significance in brief: The buildings are associated with the tobacco industry, which was Lancaster City's leading industry in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and they are a well preserved grouping of tobacco buildings. They are also representative examples of late nineteenth and early twentieth century Lancaster industrial architecture, with common bond brick, corbelled cornices and large open interiors.
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 89001051, listed August 7, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 322--24 N. Arch St. and 317--19 N. Mulberry St., Lancaster |
|---|---|
| County | Lancaster County |
| Listed | August 7, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001051 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1912-1939 |
| Architect / builder | Samuel H. Bally (contractor, Stauffer Warehouse) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The Nissly warehouse is stated to stand vacant; the Stauffer warehouse serves as a one unit residence. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Within district | Lancaster City Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.04311, -76.31090 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 89001051.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15262401
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.