Warburton House
Also known as: The Lucy Eaton Smith Residence
Why it's listed
Built in 1926 on the northeast corner of Sansom and South 20th Streets in Philadelphia, this eleven-story brick hotel was designed by New York architect Arthur Loomis Harmon for the Emergency Aid of Pennsylvania, a relief organization that grew out of World War I aid work. It was built as a residential hotel for women, with a full-service restaurant, snack bar, ballroom and 150 guestrooms on the upper nine floors. The U-shaped building uses multicolored brick, cast stone and granite, with arched entrances, keystones, and a decorative parapet in the Italian Renaissance Revival manner. Its interior ballroom, lobby and tracery window survive. The building is significant for its architecture and for its role in Philadelphia's hotel trade and in the city's provision of housing for women living alone. After 1952 it was converted by the Dominican Sisters into a residence for single women.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is significant for its association with Philadelphia's early-twentieth-century hotel industry and with women's social history, and for its Italian Renaissance Revival architecture. It was designed by Arthur Loomis Harmon and retains much of its original features and décor.
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 02000890, listed August 22, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1929 Sansom St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | August 22, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02000890 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1926-1952 |
| Architect / builder | Arthur Loomis Harmon (architect) |
| Architectural style | Italian Renaissance Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Operated as a hotel and later as the Lucy Eaton Smith Residence by the Dominican Sisters; sold in 2001 and under consideration for conversion to affordable apartments. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Center City West Commercial Historic District |
| Coordinates | 39.95144, -75.17346 (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 02000890.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7968868
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.