Insurance Company of North America Building (Philadelphia)
Insurance Company of North America Building | |
_(53574188251).jpg) Insurance Company of North America Building in Philadelphia in 2024 | |
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| Location | 1600 Arch Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°57′16″N 75°10′2″W / 39.95444°N 75.16722°W |
| Built | 1925 |
| Architect | Stone & Webster, Inc.; Stewardson & Page |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals |
| Website | phoenixphiladelphia |
| NRHP reference No. | 78002449 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | June 2, 1978[1] |
| Designated NHL | June 2, 1978[2] |
The Insurance Company of North America Building, now known as The Phoenix, is a historic commercial building in downtown Philadelphia. Built in 1925, it was for many years the home of the Insurance Company of North America (INA), the nation's first and oldest joint-stock insurance company. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1978.[2][3] The building, occupied by INA until 1991, has been developed into condominiums.
Description and history
[edit]The former Insurance Company of North America Building is located on the west side of JFK Plaza, just north of Suburban Station in Philadelphia's central Penn Center area. It is a sixteen-story steel-framed commercial building, finished in brick and stone, occupying an entire city block bounded by Arch, Cuthbert, 16th and 17th Streets. It has a 65-foot (20 m) granite lower level, above which rises a tower of ten uniform stories in brick, topped by a four-story crown. The building was designed by architects Stewardson & Page, formerly Cope & Stewardson, and built by Stone & Webster, Inc.[3]
The building was built to house the headquarters of the Insurance Company of North America (INA), then one of the largest property insurance companies in the United States.[4] The company was founded in 1794, and was the nation's first joint-stock company devoted to selling insurance. The company is credited with numerous innovations in its long history, including an early grading of marine risks in a standardized manner, and the introduction of homeowner's insurance policies that encompassed a variety of different risks. It also played a role in the creation of the agency model of insurance sales. The building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1978 in recognition of the company's historic significance.[3] It was converted to condominiums in 2002.
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Insurance Company of North America (1925), 16th St. entrance. -
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Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Marker
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See also
[edit]
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Philadelphia
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Center City, Philadelphia
References
[edit]- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ a b "Insurance Company of North America Building". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved February 17, 2008.
- ^ a b c George R. Adams (May 1977). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Insurance Company of North America Building" (pdf). National Park Service.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) and Accompanying photos, exterior and interior, from c.1930 and 1977 (32 KB) - ^ Adams, p. 2.
External links
[edit]
- Insurance Company of North America at Philadelphia Architects and Buildings
- Phoenix Condominiums
