Suffolk Manor Apartments
Why it's listed
Built in 1930 on Clearview Street in Philadelphia's Olney section, Suffolk Manor is a six-story brick apartment building with 138 units, designed by architect Karl F. Otto and built by John Loughran's Sons. It was one of two mirror-image buildings across the street, the other being Norfolk Manor, which was demolished around 1995. The building is an H-plan design with courtyards on the north side, and it features false half-timbering with stucco infill, crenellated parapets, patterned brick corbelling, and copper-clad false half-timbering. Its main entrance has an Elizabethan arch and heavy oak doors. The building is regarded as locally significant as a distinctive example of Tudor Revival architecture adapted to a large apartment building. It also represents apartment design from the late 1920s and early 1930s, a period when the Broad Street Subway spurred construction in the neighborhood. Its rents were well above the citywide median at the time.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is a distinctive example of Tudor Revival architecture adapted to a large apartment building, and a representative example of late 1920s and early 1930s apartment design. Its H-plan layout, courtyards, false half-timbering, crenellated parapets and stone trim are cited as typical of both the style and the building type. It is regarded as locally significant under Criterion C.
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 02001567, listed December 20, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1414-1450 Clearview St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | December 20, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02001567 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1930 |
| Architect / builder | Otto, Karl F., architect; John Loughran's Sons, Inc., contractor |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Continuously used as an apartment building since completion; retains most of its historic character-defining features apart from replacement of the original windows. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.04014, -75.14497 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 02001567.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7634573
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.