The Land Title Building and Annex is an American

early skyscraper The earliest stage of skyscraper design encompasses buildings built between 1884 and 1945, predominantly in the American cities of New York and Chicago. Cities in the United States were traditionally made up of low-rise buildings, but significa ...

located at 1400 Chestnut Street in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

. The building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

in 1978.

History and architectural features

This historic structure was built for the oldest title insurance company in the world, the Land Title Bank and Trust Company. The two-building complex, joined at the first floor, was built in two phases. The earlier, northern one of the building's two towers was erected in 1898 and was fifteen stories tall. It was designed by Chicago-based architect

Daniel Burnham Daniel Hudson Burnham (September 4, 1846 – June 1, 1912) was an American architect and urban designer. A proponent of the '' Beaux-Arts'' movement, he may have been, "the most successful power broker the American architectural profession has ...

, who was an early pioneer in the development of tall buildings. The southern, 22-story, 331-foot tower, added in 1902, was also designed by Burnham in collaboration with Philadelphia architect

Horace Trumbauer Horace Trumbauer (December 28, 1868 – September 18, 1938) was a prominent American architect of the Gilded Age, known for designing residential manors for the wealthy. Later in his career he also designed hotels, office buildings, and much of t ...

; it was built on the site of the former Lafayette Hotel. The building was listed on the

in 1978. A

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage. The commission cares for ...

historical marker outside the building commemorates Anne Brancato Wood, a state legislator and entrepreneur whose offices were located in the building.

References

External links

Land Title & Trust Building
at emporis.com
Land Title Building
at Philadelphia Architects and Buildings
Land Title Bank & Trust Company
at the

Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

Land Title & Trust Block
at SkyScraperPage.com {{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia Neoclassical architecture in Pennsylvania Market East, Philadelphia 1898 establishments in Pennsylvania Skyscraper office buildings in Philadelphia Office buildings completed in 1898 Horace Trumbauer buildings