Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot
Also known as: Defense Personnel Support Center; Defense Supply Center
Why it's listed
Eleven brick buildings built between 1939 and 1942 make up this federal supply complex on a twenty-six acre lot near 20th Street and Oregon Avenue in South Philadelphia. The Ballinger Company designed the group, and Wark and Company built it, in a stylistically unified Art Deco design. Building 9, a four-story concrete warehouse measuring 975 by 200 feet, was described as the largest concrete building in the country at the time. Building 8 held the boiler house and a clock tower with a smokestack. The complex was the Quartermaster Department's only textile factory in the United States and supplied uniforms, sponged fabric and equipage to the Army through World War II. Its textile laboratory also conducted materials testing. The buildings were renamed the Defense Personnel Support Center in 1965, and the period of significance runs to that date. The complex retains integrity because the 1939 to 1942 campaign remains intact and few alterations beyond replacement windows have been made.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the complex is significant under Criterion A for its role in Quartermaster Department supply during World War II, including the department's only textile factory in the United States. It also argues under Criterion C that the complex is an intact Art Deco military complex designed by the Ballinger Company.
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 09001212, listed January 26, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2724 S. 20th St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | January 26, 2010 |
| Reference number | 09001212 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1939-1965 |
| Architect / builder | The Ballinger Company (designer); Wark and Company (builder) |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Military |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The document states that Building 6 and Building 8 are currently vacant, and that Building 9 is used as commercial and storage space; the site was officially closed by the Army in 1998. |
| Acreage | 26 |
| Coordinates | 39.91865, -75.18295 (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 09001212.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7182799
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.