Drive-By Photos 13
Diner/Chung Sing, Ardmore, PA
Opened in the 40's as a diner. A couple restaurants cycled through there, and eventually became Chung Sing in the 80's. The roof was an addition. The United next door was previously a Goodyear.
Old SuperFresh Bag
This one's been sitting around in our basement since the 90's most likely. This would have come from the Lionville, PA location originally.
I think this opened in the 70's, was expanded in the 90's, and currently has the industrial décor. Update: Remodeled 2016.
There was a real estate agent's office here, but it was demolished when Rt. 113 was expanded in 2004. For the next 10 years, there was just half of an overgrown parking lot. In 2014, this place was built. They raised the ground elevation about 15 feet. Half is still for lease.
A Regal Theater was built here in 1995, closed in 2002 (fun fact: the last movie they showed was Stuart Little. By that time the sign had already been removed.) It was demolished in 2008 when the Wawa was built next door. It was in deplorable condition at that point. Timothy's Steakhouse bought the property in 2010, and built their restaurant in 2014. An AT&T store was put in the extra space on the side, relocating them from Chester Springs. It opened in March, 2015.
It opened in the 70's as a Holiday Inn. This is what it used to look like. It moved to Exton in the 90's, and became a Wyndham Garden not long after. Update: It became a Clarion in 2017.
This was built as a bank in the 70's, closed around 2000, and became the Exton Pharmacy not long after. The vault has been turned into the storage room.
King of Prussia Mall Garage
This parking garage was built around the old Wanamaker's in the late 90's, and from that took the octagonal shape. Wanamaker's was demolished in 2012, and this parking garage not long after this picture was taken. The new wing of the mall is framed out on this site. Fun fact: Google Earth's imagery of this area shows the Wanamaker's during demolition.
A&P opened in the 50's as a barrel-roof store, received a colonial façade in the early 60's, and relocated across the street in 1972. That later became a SuperFresh and in 1982, and closed in the early 2000's. As of February, the colonial façade had been ripped off and work had begun turning it into a Honda dealership. See how it used to look here.
This was built in 1952 as a bank. It may have always been Sovereign, but it is not very likely. In 2013, they were bought out by Santander.
Originally, there was a railroad track that came from underground up to a nearby bridge here. While the bridge still stands, the other track was continued underground and this spot was abandoned. In the 50's, Firestone opened up here. Unfortunately, the neon sign on the left doesn't work anymore. Update: Closed 2016.
Newman/Marks Intercultural Center, Philadelphia (Drexel)
This was built in the 80's as the Newman Center, part of Drexel University. The building changed names at some point, but the Newman organization remained in there. In late 2014, according to their website, they moved to a church down the street so that a hotel could be built here.
Update: They're back at Drexel, in a new space in the Academic Building.
Pathmark Cart Ad
Found this outside the Brookhaven Pathmark when I visited. Figured it would make a nice souvenir.
Happy Thanksgiving 2015!
I would not recommend trying to take a picture this close up of a wild turkey. They are not the friendliest creatures.
Built in the 20's or 30's as a Pure Oil gas station. It looks like it has been sitting abandoned for a long time, but knowing this area, it could still be in use.
This gas station's been operating without a name for a while. Update: It was rebranded to an independent name in 2017 and the outside fixed up. The convenience store has been turned into a Dunkin Donuts.
This is certainly one of the older car washes out there. I'd guess it was built in the 30's. I love the stonework here.
This operated as the Green Hill theater from 1947 until the mid-60's. Afterwards, it was used as a bingo hall for a few years, before becoming Green Hill Haitian Church of God in the early 80's. Miraculously, the marquee has survived all this time and has even been restored since this picture was taken.
Wanamaker's/Hecht's/Genuardi's/Giant, Wynnewood, PA
I'm not entirely sure what this was. The vaulted roof over the garage doors make me think Shell, and the stripes on the canopy could be Gulf. While this building was still standing as of last weekend, it is set to be demolished at some point. There is a ton of redevelopment going on in the area. Wynnewood is one of the richest areas in the state. Correction: Built as an Esso. More recently it served as a Citgo and Riggins.
This location survived the 2015 bankruptcy, and did not co-brand with a Sprint. Unfortunately, it closed in 2017.
A 60's location. This has to be one of the blandest gas stations in the world. The original Enter sign remains, though! Interestingly, there's another Sunoco across the street in a former Exxon.
Wawa, Ardmore, PA
One of the increasingly hard to find locations still bearing the old logo. I think this opened up in the 80's. UPDATE: Slated for remodeling April 2017.
This opened up in the 70's with the center. It was probably built as a CoreStates. Wells Fargo bought Wachovia in 2008, and the last of the stores had been rebranded by 2011. Fun fact: Wachovia was America's oldest bank, it was established in 1777.
Opened around 1995, closed 2014. I think the landlord kicked them out in order to divide the building up. This picture was not long after it closed, and it looks like work lights were already up inside, indicating it had already been gutted out. Within the next few weeks, the façade was torn off. The first tenant, La-Z-Boy furniture, opened up around July of this year. I can't remember who else has opened up yet, if anyone. UPDATE: Kirkland's is taking up the remainder of the space.
Power Play Rinks, Chester Springs, PA
This was built in 1999. A couple years ago (2012, I think), they replaced all the exterior lights, with the exception of the ones in the parking lot, with LED's. They got a little lazy with it around the sign. The neon was just disconnected and spotlights were put in place. There are plans for them to build a second rink behind this one at some point.
Opened in the late 90's. I'm not sure when it closed. They have a very distinct design, so I would have expected them to either take the décor with them, or the next tenant would get rid of it. Surprisingly, it remains.
This was built in the 60's as 1N Bank's headquarters. Turk's Head Tavern stood on the site from the 1700's up until this was built.
I think this was one of Eckerd's newer stores. Rite Aid took over in 2007. Given the type of sign, I'm surprised they didn't get a new one. It would have been just as easy. The window decals indicate it has their latest décor.
I would assume the building was put up as a barn in the 1800's, back before Rt. 30 was as large a highway as it is now. At some point, it was turned into a store selling stuff like spices, incense, and small pieces of foreign furniture. That closed around 2005. It has been vacant since. Given its location, I speculate that this will probably be turned into another store or demolished and replaced by one before too long.
A late-90's/early 00's Genuardi's. I stopped here once while it was being converted back in 2012. The signage still said Genuardi's, as did the bags and employee's uniforms. However, Giant already was wrapping up with their remodel. I wonder what kind of negotiations they had worked out with Safeway on that.
Rite Aid, West Chester, PA
This opened in 2008. I'm not sure why some locations got signage over the entrance, while others had just the stuff on the blue part. Lionville has none whatsoever, and it just looks wrong.
McDonald's, Media, PA
This was built in the mid-70's originally, although it looks new enough it may have already been rebuilt at some point. As of 2018, this has yet to be remodeled.
Recently, Toll Brothers began developing this little backroad. It didn't have too much traffic, and was loved by joggers and dog walkers in the neighboring subdivisions. The entire road has been wiped out and leveled with the property since this picture was taken. Here is the house itself. Last I had seen, everything around it had been destroyed, but the place itself was still standing. There used to be a barn behind it, but that burned down around 2008, and was promptly demolished. UPDATE: This house was expanded and restored as part of the development.
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