Nipper Building facts for kids
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Building 17, RCA Victor Company, Camden Plant
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 Location in Camden County, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1 Market Street, Camden, New Jersey |
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| Area | 3.7 acres (1.5 ha) |
| Built | 1909 |
| Architect | Ballinger & Perrot |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 02001253 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 4, 2002 |
The Nipper Building is a famous historic building in Camden, New Jersey. People often call it The Victor today. It used to be Building 17 of the RCA Victor Company's factory.
This building is located in the Cooper Grant area of Camden. For many years, starting in 1901, Camden was the main home for the Victor Talking Machine Company. Later, it became RCA Victor. The building was first used to make cabinets for Victrola record players. In 2004, it was changed into fancy apartments and shops.
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Building History
The Nipper Building, now known as 'The Victor', was built between 1909 and 1916. It was designed by a company called Ballinger & Perrot, which did both architecture and engineering.
The Story of Nipper
Nipper was a real dog, a mix of breeds, probably with some terrier. An artist named Francis Barraud painted a picture of Nipper listening carefully to a gramophone. This painting was called His Master's Voice.
Nipper became one of the most famous dogs in the world! The painting was sold to a British company called the Gramophone Company Ltd. Later, it became the official symbol for both the Gramophone Company and its new American partner, the Victor Talking Machine Company. This happened in 1901.
In 1929, a company called the Radio Corporation of America bought the Victor Company. This deal included the big factory in Camden and the "His Master's Voice" symbol with Nipper.
Nipper's Stained Glass Windows
The Nipper Building has four special stained glass windows in its tower. These windows show the Nipper symbol. They were made by D'Ascenzo Studios in Philadelphia and put in place in 1915. At night, lights made the windows glow, and you could see them from far away!
In 1968, RCA changed its company logo and stopped using the "Victor" and Nipper symbols. The beautiful stained glass windows were taken out of the tower in 1969. They were replaced with RCA's new logo painted on large pieces of wood.
But people really missed Nipper! So, starting in 1976, RCA brought the Nipper symbol back for their record labels and advertisements. Many newspapers and news reports talked about Nipper's return.
On April 10, 1979, the Governor of New Jersey, Brendan Byrne, even declared it "Nipper Day"! RCA held a special event in Camden to celebrate. Four new stained glass windows, just like the old ones, were put back into the tower.
Sadly, these new windows were damaged over time after General Electric took over RCA in 1986 and left the building in the 1990s. When Dranoff Properties bought the building to turn it into apartments, they fixed the broken windows.
Building's Other Uses
During the 1970s and 1980s, some parts of the Nipper Building were used by RCA's Government Communications Systems Division. They worked on computer systems for the U.S. intelligence community.
Today, the Nipper Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's recognized as an important historical site.
The Victor Today
After General Electric left the building in 1992, it became run down and was damaged by vandals. It was a sad sight in the area and was almost torn down. Many other old RCA Victor buildings in Camden had already been destroyed. In 1997, a group called Preservation New Jersey put the building on its list of "Ten Most Endangered Sites."
To save the building, a special tax credit was used. The building was turned into a complex with 341 fancy apartments. These apartments offer amazing views of the Philadelphia skyline. The restoration work finished in August 2003 and cost about $65 million. BLT Architects guided the project.
Most of the money for the project came from private companies like Dranoff Properties and Fleet Bank. The rest of the money came from different public groups, including the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority and the New Jersey Redevelopment Authority.
