On May 29, 1920, the then Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based Armstrong Cork Company purchased the mansion from Grove Locher and his wife for $26,930. The company's second president, Charles D. Armstrong, was disturbed by the conditions in which his son, Dwight, and other new sales employees were living within various rented housing across Lancaster. C.D. Armstrong and his wife, Gertrude Virginia Ludden Armstrong, were also aware of the difficulties with the transition from campus life to industrial living, and desired a more comfortable living space for their sales trainees. Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong also wanted to have a suitable location for business meetings with visiting employees from other areas. The house was used as a living space for the sales trainees (all single men) during their 6-month training program at the Lancaster, PA flooring plant. The company spent an additional $27,742.87 on renovations and renamed the property Armstrong Manor.