Packard Motor Corporation Building
Also known as: Press Building
Why it's listed
Built in 1910-11 on North Broad Street in Philadelphia, this seven-story building was designed by Kahn & Wilby of Detroit as a showroom and assembly space for the Packard Motor Car Company. Its facade is clad in terra cotta and divided into base, shaft and capital, with a corinthian-derived crowning cornice. The building is long and narrow, with ornament applied only to the front seven bays, while the rear is plain reinforced concrete. The two-story main showroom has plaster beams with a grape vine pattern, molded plaster panels and electric chandeliers. The site is linked to the work of Albert Kahn, whose Packard Assembly Plant of 1903 is noted. The building is also tied to the early reinforced concrete work of Kahn's associate firm, the Trussed Concrete Steel Company. Locally, it marked the start of a cluster of automobile dealerships that made Philadelphia a center of automobile sales in the early twentieth century.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is important as a work by the architect Albert Kahn, as the sales office of the Packard Company, and as one of the early applications of reinforced concrete to a commercial building. It also cites its role as a center of the local automobile trade in Philadelphia in the early 20th century.
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 80003616, listed February 8, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 317--321 N. Broad St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | February 8, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003616 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Kahn & Wilby of Detroit, Mich. |
| Architectural style | Sullivanesque style |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Though the showroom was subdivided at a later date, most original materials remain. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 39.95867, -75.16213 (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 80003616.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7122923
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.