The Hamilton Watch Complex is a former industrial complex in

Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. It was owned by the

Hamilton Watch Company The Hamilton Watch Company is a Switzerland, Swiss manufacturer of wristwatches based in Biel/Bienne, Bienne, Switzerland. Founded in 1892 as an American firm, the Hamilton Watch Company ended American manufacture in 1969, shifting manufacturing ...

and was used as their headquarters from its founding in 1892 until 1980. The complex was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1982. The main building was converted into a luxury

apartment An apartment (American English, Canadian English), flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), tenement (Scots English), or unit (Australian English) is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that ...

and

condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership regime in which a building (or group of buildings) is divided into multiple units that are either each separately owned, or owned in common with exclusive rights of occupation by individual own ...

complex, while the Administrative Offices are now home to a Montessori school called "New School Montessori."

Design

The complex is located on the western edge of Lancaster on

Pennsylvania Route 462 Pennsylvania Route 462 (PA 462) is a east–west state route in York County, Pennsylvania, York and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Lancaster counties in central Pennsylvania. The western terminus is west of York, Pennsylvania, York, and t ...

(Columbia Avenue). The twin

clock tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure that house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another building ...

s are the most dominant feature of the building. Each tower is topped with a

mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called French roof or curb roof) is a multi-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper, and often punctured by dormer wi ...

trimmed with

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

and a clock with four

faces The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect the ...

. The four-story complex was built out of brick and is shaped roughly like an 'E' with the central portion of a building situated east and west, paralleling Columbia Avenue, and three wings extending north. An unconnected, four-story,

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

office building stands south of the main building, between the two clock towers.Snyder, § 7, p. 1. The westernmost wing of the complex was designed in a "restrained"

International style The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...

History

The Adams and Perry Watch Manufacturing Company was formed in September 1874 and started construction on the original building in the complex, which was completed in July 1875.Bowman, p. 44. The building, designed by

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

-architect Clarence Luther Stiles in the Second Empire style, was three stories high and consisted of only the eastern tower, flanked on either side with a wing.Snyder, App. II, p. 1. The company went bankrupt in 1876, and after several years of attempts to organize a new company, the Keystone Standard Watch Company was started in 1886.Bowman, p. 45. Keystone Standard Watch went

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the de ...

, as well, in 1890. Its assets were sold in 1892 in a

public auction A government auction or a public auction is an auction held on behalf of a government in which the property to be auctioned is either property owned by the government or property which is sold under the authority of a court of law or a governmen ...

to a group of investors from Lancaster, who had also bought another bankrupt watch company in

Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. They founded the

on December 14, 1892. In 1902, the western wing was extended, and a fourth floor was added to the entire building, as well as an extension of the clock tower and modification of its mansard roof in 1905. The complex was repeatedly expanded in the early 1910s, ending in 1916 with the construction of the second clock tower. An addition was constructed in 1923 on the eastern end of the building. An extension was built, extending north from the western clock tower, in 1925 to 1926, and another, extending west from the same tower, in 1929.Snyder, App. II. p. 2. Various

landscaping Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following: # Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal ...

projects were also undertaken during the 1920s. A new factory wing was constructed in 1936 behind the original 1874 clock tower. The four-story office building between the two clock towers was built in 1941, along with another wing extending north from the end of the 1929 addition. The final addition of the complex was completed in 1963, with the construction of another wing adjacent to the 1941 wing.

Renovation

In 1980, the Hamilton Watch Company was renamed Hamilton Technology and was moved out of the complex into downtown Lancaster.Harris and Mekeel, p. A4. A proposal was put forth in 1981 by a

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

-based

real estate developer Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to other ...

to convert the complex into 202 apartments and 61

townhouse A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of Terraced house, terraced housing. A modern townhouse is often one with a small footprint on multiple floors. In a different British usage, the term originally referred to any type o ...

s, but it fell through; its failure being blamed on "high

interest rates An interest rate is the amount of interest due per period, as a proportion of the amount lent, deposited, or borrowed (called the principal sum). The total interest on an amount lent or borrowed depends on the principal sum, the interest rate, ...

and restrictive

zoning In urban planning, zoning is a method in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into land-use "zones", each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for ...

regulations". Another developer bought the site in 1983. However, that project was halted in 1984 by a "

legal dispute Legal proceeding is an activity that seeks to invoke the power of a tribunal in order to enforce a law. Although the term may be defined more broadly or more narrowly as circumstances require, it has been noted that " e term ''legal proceedings'' ...

", leaving 78 units unfinished and dozens more only partially completed. A

Montessori The Montessori method of education is a type of educational method that involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing ...

school, formerly called "The New School Of Lancaster" now called "New Schooler Montessori" was opened in the 1941 office building in the autumn of 1995. The complex was sold to a

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

-based developer in 1998 with plans to convert the existing apartments into luxury apartments and

s for $8 million. The final phase of the renovations of the main building was completed in July 2000; a total of 135 condos were constructed in the building. The 1941 and 1963 wings were sold to the city in 1999; after a $4.5 renovation, the wings were leased to an

insurance company Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to protect ...

in 2003.Alexander, p. B2. The complex was listed on the

on August 14, 1982, and was designated a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...

to the Lancaster City Historic District on September 7, 2001.

References

Sources

* * * * * * {{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Industrial buildings completed in 1963 Apartment buildings in Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in Lancaster, Pennsylvania Clock towers in Pennsylvania Residential condominiums in the United States Residential buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania International style architecture in Pennsylvania Manufacturing plants in the United States Second Empire architecture in Pennsylvania Twin towers Historic district contributing properties in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Lancaster, Pennsylvania Corporate headquarters in the United States

Design

History

Renovation

See also

References

Sources