Holman, A. J., and Company
Also known as: Holman Building
Why it's listed
Built in 1881 on the 1200 block of Arch Street in Philadelphia, this five-story red brick loft building was designed by the Wilson Brothers for the A.J. Holman and Company Bible publishing firm. Its public Arch Street facade combines a cast iron base framing shop fronts, three brick stories, and a cast iron colonnade under a brick cornice, with a triangular pediment bearing the date 1881 below a Gothic arch. The building is valued for its planning, which divided the structure transversely and used light wells along the party wall to ventilate the rear printing plant and separate it from the front offices, with iron shutters that could close the light wells in case of fire. Its stair hall was finished to a higher standard than typical industrial work. The company was one of the city's oldest publishers, tracing its origins to an earlier German-language Bible printer, and the building is also noted as an early publishing building in the district that drew the printing trades west of the older centre near 7th Street.
Significance in brief: The building is argued to be significant for its architecture and engineering, designed by the Wilson Brothers, and for its planning, which used light wells and fire separation to reduce the hazards of printing with volatile inks. It is also linked to the history of the Holman company, one of Philadelphia's oldest publishers, and to the shift of the printing trades toward the light manufacturing district north of Market Street.
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 84003544, listed May 17, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1222-26 Arch St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | May 17, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84003544 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Wilson Brothers |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Excellent condition, unaltered, original site, as checked on the form; interior described as much altered in places. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Within district | East Center City Commercial Historic District |
| Coordinates | 39.95381, -75.16024 (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 84003544.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4647208
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.