Nissly Swiss Chocolate Company
Why it's listed
Built in 1920 in the Florin section of Mount Joy Borough, the Nissly Swiss Chocolate Company factory is a three-story reinforced concrete building with a full raised basement, measuring roughly sixty by one hundred feet. Its exposed concrete skeleton, brick apron walls and large metal industrial windows gave the open manufacturing floors natural light and ventilation, and the concrete frame carried the weight and vibration of candy-making machinery. The company was chartered in May 1920 by the sons of tobacco dealer Eli Lindemuth Nissly, and it produced milk chocolate until bankruptcy during the Great Depression. The building's significance lies in its link to Lancaster County's chocolate industry, which drew on local dairy production and grew after the turn of the century, and in its design. The nomination regards it as one of the best preserved examples of this type of construction applied to chocolate manufacturing in the county.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the factory is significant for its association with the early twentieth-century chocolate manufacturing industry in Lancaster County, which grew after the turn of the century. It also argues the building is significant for its early industrial design, with an exposed reinforced concrete skeleton and expansive windows, and that it is one of the best preserved examples of this construction applied to the chocolate industry in the county.
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 96000709, listed June 28, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 951 Wood St., Mount Joy |
|---|---|
| County | Lancaster County |
| Listed | June 28, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96000709 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1920-1929 |
| Architectural style | No Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Industry |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The first floor is used for refurbishing wooden pallets and the remainder of the complex is vacant. |
| Coordinates | 40.11348, -76.52699 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 96000709.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7041134
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.