Equitable Trust Building
Also known as: Broad and Locust Building
Why it's listed
Completed in 1925 at the corner of Broad and Locust Streets in Philadelphia, the Equitable Trust Building is a 21-story office tower designed by Horace Trumbauer with A.F. Gilbert of New York. It was built for Louis Cahan, who also commissioned Trumbauer's Chateau Crillon on Rittenhouse Square. The tower rises from a three-story limestone base with a gothic arcade and is capped by a two-story terra cotta crown with turrets and buttresses. Its brick shaft is patterned by paired sash windows and modulated pier treatment. The building combined a bank, offices, and a theater under one roof, with the theater lobbies and a vaulted mezzanine lobby on the west side. Its planning, with bathrooms on stair landings at half levels, was regarded as an early and original example of multi-use commercial design. The site was also notable for placing a bank on the first floor with offices above, anticipating the later PSFS tower. In the 1930s and 1940s the building was best known for its owner, Thomas Mitten, who ran the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company from offices there.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is a major skyscraper whose gothic styling and mixed bank, office, and theater uses were an important example of skyscraper design. It is also tied to Horace Trumbauer's career at the height of his output and to the innovative exploitation of its site, with first-floor bank and upper offices anticipating the PSFS tower.
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 86001405, listed July 3, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1405 Locust St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | July 3, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86001405 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1925 |
| Architect / builder | Horace Trumbauer & A.F. Gilbert (N.Y.) |
| Architectural style | Modified gothic |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Under restoration; the theater has been demolished and the 1950s stainless steel awning and shopfronts were slated for removal. |
| Acreage | 0.6 |
| Within district | Broad Street Historic District (Additional Documentation) |
| Coordinates | 39.94821, -75.16468 (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 86001405.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5384630
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.