South Front Street Historic District
Also known as: Southwark:See Also:Irish,Nathaniel,House; Moore,Capt.Thomas,H
Why it's listed
Built of hand-made brick in Flemish bond, the houses on South Front Street in Southwark stand two and a half to three and a half stories high, with steep gable or gambrel roofs, dormers front and back, and two rooms deep with a kitchen wing behind. Most were completed before 1769, and the group includes the earliest surviving houses on Front Street, a road that ran parallel to the Delaware River and served a port economy of commercial and maritime trades. Number 708 and number 712 date from about 1740, while numbers 700 through 706 were built between 1760 and 1769. Daniel Harrison, a carpenter and member of the Carpenters' Company, built 708, and Samuel Smith, a shipwright, built 710 and 712. Nathaniel Irish, also a Carpenters' Company member, built 700 through 706. Eighteenth-century interiors survive, including paneled chimney walls, fireplaces with original moulding, and close newel stairs. The corner house at 700 was the Widow Mallaby's tavern, and 706 was also a tavern.
Significance in brief: The houses are the earliest remaining on Front Street and reflect the port-related commercial and maritime life of the area. They were built by master craftsmen, including members of the Carpenters' Company, and use building methods and details matching houses in central Philadelphia and Germantown. One house served as a tavern hosting community gatherings, and the group retains much original woodwork.
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 72001171, listed April 25, 1972. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 700-712 S. Front St., W side Bainbridge St. to Kenilworth St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | April 25, 1972 |
| Reference number | 72001171 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1740-1769 |
| Architect / builder | Daniel Harrison (carpenter); Samuel Smith (shipwright); Nathaniel Irish (house carpenter) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Original site; the door and window openings are mostly original and some original cornices remain. |
| Acreage | 9.9 |
| Within district | Southwark District |
| Coordinates | 39.93977, -75.14452 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 72001171.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7567321
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.