History

This building reflects York’s 20th century history.  Solidly build in 1903 as a cigar factory, it represented the entrepreneurial drive and hard working employees needed to accommodate changes in ownership and the many uses of the building.

The building at 540 South George Street was originally built to house the Eisenlohr Cigar Factory. During this era, the cigar industry in York County was an important source of revenue for the area. At one point, York County produced 20% of all the cigars made in the U.S.  As the largest and longest lasting cigar factory in York, this building saw many changes over the years.  It first changed ownership after the untimely death of its founder, Otto Eisenlohr, to become the Eisenlohr Webster Company and eventually became the Webster Cigar Company. The company, under the various names, manufactured a high volume of cigars and shipped them around the country.

The process of hand-rolling cigars was time consuming and labor intensive. For this reason, the cigar industry was one of the first in the area to hire women. We were able to salvage the scale used to weigh the tobacco bales from the lower level of the building; the scale is on display in the Gallery 540.  There are 3 horse stalls in the lower level where the horses could be fed and watered before heading home after delivery of the tobacco bales. The stalls and original sliding doors remain and are currently being used as storage areas. To the rear of the current building was another building designed and used as a giant humidor where the cigars were stored prior to shipping.  Unfortunately, we could not reclaim that building because the damage was too extensive.

When the cigar industry started dying out in the area, this building with its many windows and long, open work areas was vacated. Jimmy Wilson Moving and Storage found that this was a perfect location to store furniture, household goods, and other items. During the riots in 1969, the owner stayed in the rear of the fourth floor to protect his property in case violence broke out. Luckily, the building was spared any destruction during that period, but the owner remembers watching National Guard tanks go up and down George Street while he was in the building.

The Dallmeyer family realized that the space with its large windows was ideal for their sewing factory.  The amount of natural light and ventilation along with lots of open space for machinery made this a good location for their business.  They operated here for more than a decade making men’s shirts and girl’s dresses. During the renovations a sewing machine was found on the fourth floor of this building; that machine is on display in the Historic Lobby, Gallery 540.

The Crispus Attucks Association purchased the property from the Dallmeyer family in 1995 as part of their Boundary Avenue Project. The goals included:  revitalization of the Southeast Neighborhood of York by renovating properties, providing safe affordable housing to residents, and offering health and educational opportunities to the unemployed or underemployed in the community. The Crispus Attucks Association facility is located one block southeast of the Greenway Tech Centre.

Lifetime Brands leased the Greenway Tech Centre for offices and their call center after they purchased the Pfaltzgraff brand. This brought additional jobs to the area and helped the Crispus Attucks Association realize one of its goals.

High tech, LEED registered, Historic renovation project that is the foundation of the southern gateway into the city of York.