Slater Cigar Company
Why it's listed
Two brick buildings on the 600 block of Columbia Avenue in Lancaster form the Slater Cigar Company complex. Building A, at 625 Columbia Avenue, dates from about 1895 and was raised to three stories around 1910. Building B, across the street at 628-626 Columbia Avenue, was built in 1905-1906 as a four-story cigar factory measuring 45 by 140 feet, with a one-story rear addition from about 1920 or 1923. John Slater's company made "Stogies" cigars and packed tobacco, and in 1909 it employed 150 people and distributed 20 million pounds of tobacco. The buildings are regarded as integral to Lancaster's late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century leaf tobacco trade. Few surviving Lancaster tobacco buildings also served as large-scale cigar factories, and both retain good integrity.
Significance in brief: The buildings are associated with the processing and storage of cigar leaf tobacco, one of Lancaster City's most important late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century industries. They are described as among the few extant examples of tobacco warehouses that also functioned as large-scale cigar factories, and as good intact examples of their property type, with the emphasis on factory operations.
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 90001403, listed September 21, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 625 and 626--628 Columbia Ave., Lancaster |
|---|---|
| County | Lancaster County |
| Listed | September 21, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90001403 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | C. 1895-1940 |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Building A is presently used by a printing firm. Building B is occupied by a used furniture business. |
| Acreage | 0.4 |
| Within district | Lancaster City Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.03732, -76.31771 (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 90001403.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7538898
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.