Heywood Chair Factory
Also known as: Lotus Inn
Why it's listed
Built in 1892 to designs by Willis G. Hale, this eight-story building on Race Street in Philadelphia occupies its full site, reaching through to Quarry Street. Its yellow brick front is trimmed with brownstone and copper, with a round-arched central opening, a pressed metal crown, and an arched, pilastered upper facade. The company that occupied it, Heywood Brothers, produced bentwood furniture, an American adaptation of Michael Thonet's process, mainly for academic buyers. Its chairs were praised at the Centennial Exhibition in 1876, and the firm later supplied furniture to Bryn Mawr College. Hale was a prominent Victorian designer whose commercial and residential commissions shaped the city. The building is valued for its ornate exterior, its nearly unchanged rear facade, and its interior, where the upper stories keep their original pressed metal coffered ceilings. It is also valued as a surviving example of an urban industrial workplace from the late nineteenth century.
Significance in brief: The building is significant as a richly detailed late Victorian industrial work by Willis G. Hale, one of the leading Philadelphia architects of the period, and one of the last major industrial designs of his type to survive. It is also significant as the production center for the Heywood Brothers bentwood furniture firm, whose products were exhibited at the Centennial Exhibition and used by Cope and Stewardson at Bryn Mawr College.
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 84003541, listed August 23, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1010-1014 Race St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | August 23, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84003541 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1892 |
| Architect / builder | Willis G. Hale (architect) |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The facade is largely intact apart from alterations to the ground floor, which was converted to a Chinese restaurant; the upper stories remain a manufacturing loft now used to produce clothing. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.95525, -75.15673 (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 84003541.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5749865
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.