National and State Registers of Historic Places
Reuter Organ Company Buildings
612-616 New Hampshire Street
Lawrence (Douglas County)
Listed in National Register
Dec 21, 2020
Architect: Not listed
Category: manufacturing facility; commerce
Thematic Nomination: Historic Resources of Lawrence (2001)
The Reuter Organ Company Buildings at 612 and 614-616 New Hampshire Street in Lawrence, Douglas County, Kansas, are locally significant as examples of the Commercial Building property type described in the Historic Resources of Lawrence, Douglas County, Kansas. The Reuter Organ Company was headquartered here from 1919 to 2001. The buildings, constructed in 1882 (612 New Hampshire) and 1927 (614-616 New Hampshire), were occupied by only two local businesses. From 1882 to 1912, the Wilder Brothers Shirt Factory operated out of the stone building. The Reuter company purchased the building in 1919 and remodeled it for use as an organ manufacturing facility; the company constructed the brick building in 1927. These two buildings are functionally related and illustrate the history and growth of the Reuter Organ Company during the twentieth century. Although initially constructed in 1882, the property today physically reflects its long association with the Reuter Organ Company; thus, the period of significance, 1919-1971, spans from the year that company established their business at this location to the year the company moved a portion of their operations out of the buildings.
