Insurance Company of North America Building (Philadelphia)

The Insurance Company of North America Building is a historic commercial building in downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. 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.

Insurance Company of North America Building
Location1600 Arch St.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Coordinates39°57′16″N 75°10′2″W
Built1925
ArchitectStone & Webster, Inc.; Stewardson & Page
Architectural styleColonial Revival, Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals
NRHP reference No.78002449
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJune 2, 1978[1]
Designated NHLJune 2, 1978[2]

Description and history

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]

  • Insurance Company of North America (1925), 16th St. entrance.

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. "Insurance Company of North America Building". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2008-02-17.
  3. George R. Adams (May 1977). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Insurance Company of North America Building" (pdf). National Park Service. Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying photos, exterior and interior, from c.1930 and 1977 (32 KB)
  4. Adams, p. 2.
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