Reilly Brothers and Raub Building
Why it's listed
Built in 1910-1911 on the west side of North Queen Street in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, this large brick and stone commercial block extends through to North Market Street in an L-shaped plan. Herman Wohlsen built it from designs by C. Emlen Urban. The four-story front uses Deer Island pink granite, Indiana limestone and copper, with Tuscan pilasters rising from the second floor to the cornice. The building housed both a showroom and warehouse for Reilly Brothers and Raub, a hardware firm founded in 1888 that was one of the city's two leading hardware stores in the early twentieth century and sold wholesale across southeastern Pennsylvania, northern Maryland and Delaware. Its importance rests on its architecture and commercial history. The facade combines materials rare among central Lancaster commercial buildings of its era, and its exterior is regarded as the most intact of Urban's 1900-1933 commercial buildings in the district. The structure also marks a transition, with wood joists at the rear and structural steel at the front.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is significant for regional architectural and commercial history. Its granite, Indiana limestone and copper facade is described as unique for central Lancaster, and it is called the most perfectly preserved of C. Emlen Urban's 1900-1933 commercial buildings in the central business district. It also served the Reilly Brothers and Raub hardware business, which was one of the city's two most important hardware stores in the early twentieth century.
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 83004222, listed November 3, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 44-46 N. Queen St. and 45 N. Market St., Lancaster |
|---|---|
| County | Lancaster County |
| Listed | November 3, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83004222 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900-1933 |
| Architect / builder | Herman Wohlsen (builder); C. Emlen Urban (architect) |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Exterior integrity is described as excellent and unaltered, and the building remains at its original site. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Within district | Lancaster City Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.03908, -76.30544 (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 83004222.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7310164
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.