Harrington Machine Shop
Why it's listed
Built in 1903 at Seventeenth and Callowhill Streets in Philadelphia, this five-story brick industrial building served as the factory of Edwin Harrington, Son and Company, a hoist manufacturer. Its interior uses a steel frame of built-up columns on the lower four floors, with wooden beams on the top floor, and its large windows give open floor space and light. The firm traces its roots to a machine tool shop established in 1867, and it began producing hoists in 1875. The Peerless Hoist, first patented in 1905, became the company's main product. The building is regarded as the only surviving hoist machine shop in the city from that era, and a Harrington screw hoist from 1894 remains in place on an upper floor. The Harrington Company later moved to Plymouth Meeting in 1954.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is the former quarters of one of the two oldest hoist manufacturers in America that kept its original corporate identity, and the oldest known extant hoist factory in Philadelphia. It also cites the building's steel-frame construction as a state-of-the-art industrial design for its time, and the firm's history as an example of success and failure in 19th- and 20th-century American industry.
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 83002270, listed May 6, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1640-1666 Callowhill St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | May 6, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83002270 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1903-1954 |
| Architect / builder | Roydhouse, Arey & Co. (builder) |
| Areas of significance | Industry |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 39.96073, -75.16670 (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 83002270.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5664613
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.