Field Trip!
A couple days after moving into the freshman dorms, we had our first "field trip"- they bused the entire class down to the South Philly IKEA and then to Target. I didn't get a ton of pictures since I was with a bunch of new people I needed to make friends with and didn't want to scare them off, but I was still able to furtively snap a few.
Caldor/Bradlees/Target, Philadelphia (Pennsport)
Caldor opened this store in 1987 on the site of an old barrel factory. For several years it was the only downtown-ish big-box department store (The Northeast, Eastwick, and Roxborough neighborhoods had them longer but they're all less dense parts of town). It closed with the chain in 1999 and was picked up by Bradlees, who only made it a little over a year before they too went out of business. Target bought both of Bradlees' remaining Philadelphia stores. They did a gut renovation of this one, and tore down/rebuilt their Roosevelt Blvd store. The front of the store was totally rebuilt by Target, removing the original rounded Caldor entryway in the center of the building and adding their own on the right. It was remodeled to the current look in early 2017.
I thought this was an interesting reuse. That's 100% a 60's Sunoco sign pole, but the site has been home to a weird development since the 80's- it's a Wawa-anchored strip mall with a Liberty gas station sharing the parking lot. The entire center got redone in 2017 when Wawa remodeled, but I wouldn't read too much into that. Wawa has been trying to build a new gas-selling store in the vacant lot across the street for years but can't get the zoning. The Pennsport neighborhood is (re)developing rapidly, and city officials think that lot would be better served by a much higher density development. As much as I love Wawa, I have to agree with the city here. Hopefully they can at least get a new store out of it, though it may be without gas and will probably be under an apartment tower.
Target, Philadelphia (Rittenhouse Square)
This 2-level Flex store opened its doors in 2017. It was the second to open in town, following the Washington Square one the year before. It incorporated the existing Art Deco building on the corner, although two stores next door were torn down to make way. Prior to Target signing on, the developer wanted to put a 26-story apartment building here, but cancelled those once they bought the Boyd Theater next door and received approval to build an even larger building there. The store opened without a written name- just the bullseye, but last year added the lowercase logo underneath.
The building on the corner has a neat history, it was built by lawyer and civil rights icon Raymond Alexander in 1935. You can read more about both him and the building here. Sadly it would seem its history is either unknown or ignored by many. It has since been repaired and reopened, but the store was looted and badly damaged during the riot in May.
Eastern Mountain Sports/Giant Heirloom Market, Philadelphia (University City)
EMS had been here since the early 2000's, and closed during their 2017 bankruptcy. By that point, I believe all of their stores had received the current logo, but for whatever reason the decals on the door here were never updated. It sat vacant for a little while, and in 2019 it was announced this would become the home of Giant's second small-format Heirloom Market store. They have since opened another in the Northern Liberties neighborhood, and are planning two more. The store opened in February. I really like it, they're basically like a Trader Joe's but with Giant's prices and a great selection of locally made foods.
They covered up the windows with a gigantic photograph of the building, which just so happens to show it while EMS was still open.
Now this one's got a surprisingly complicated history. This store itself opened "new" with the building in 2008, but happens to stand where another CVS used to be prior to getting kicked out for construction a couple years before. The thing is, that CVS didn't close. Instead, they moved a few blocks away to the old UPenn Barnes & Noble. The relocation remains in operation despite being so close to the one it "replaced".
McDonald's, Philadelphia (University City)
I found a picture of this from back when it first opened back in 1972, but now that I'm putting this post together I can't find it again. :/
This one hasn't had a major interior remodel since the 90's, and aside from repainting has never had an exterior renovation. I'm pleased to report it remains that way at least at the time I'm posting this.
Fresh Grocer/ACME, Philadelphia (University City)
The Fresh Grocer opened this store in 2002, back when they were still an independent chain. The majority of their pre-Shoprite stores have closed now, but as a franchise they picked up 3 former Pathmarks and 4 former Foodtowns for a total of 11 locations. That count does not include this one, as it closed earlier this year after losing a 3-year legal battle with UPenn regarding their lease. It is confirmed that ACME will be taking this over and opening later this year after extensively remodeling the space, marking their return to West Philly after a 17-year hiatus. Between how gross Fresh Grocer was (always a mess, smelled like rotting meat, and even got shut down for a week by the health department last year) and me just liking ACME, I wasn't sad to see them go.
Despite how poorly maintained it was, it didn't look too bad. They did a good job designing it at least, and I'm sure it would have been a great store if they bothered taking care of it. I have a more thorough stour coming up later, it's an interesting place.
3675 Market, Philadelphia (University City)
14 stories isn't huge by Center City's standards, but this new office tower's far enough west it sticks out. It was the second phase (of probably at least a dozen) of a new science/technology hub they're trying to develop mainly on the site of the former University City High School, which stood behind this. This building is actually going on the site of a circa-2000 2-story office building and parking garage that the developer already managed beforehand.
Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia (East Market)
When Reading Railroad brought their line down into Center City and built a new terminal in 1893, they had to demolish a huge Farmer's Market. To make up for it, they built a new one under the platform. The market outlived the railroad by quite a bit. After Reading went under in the 70's, SEPTA used the terminal for a brief time before opening the new Market East (now Jefferson) Station in the 80's. After the new station opened, the non-market part of the building was turned into an entry hall for the new Convention Center, which was built right behind it. It's been in continuous operation, save for a few months in the 90's when it was closed so the building could be restored. At this point there are more restaurants than farmstands in here, but there are still a few traces of its agricultural heritage (it's just about the only place downtown you can regularly find the Amish).
The sign on the building here was originally located on the Market Street side, but moved here during the restoration when the sleek 40's marble façade it was mounted to was peeled off in favor of the original cut stone front.
Imperial Inn, Philadelphia (Chinatown)
Imperial Inn was a popular Dim Sum restaurant that had been here since 1974. It was on my list of places to try, but unfortunately closed last year when the owner retired before I got there. It has since become an AsianFresh Market, who totally redid the building inside and out. Google's still got some pictures of the inside back in the Imperial days- I'd guess they never remodeled it during their 45-year run.
Chinatown, Philadelphia
I forget which day it was, but they had a huge festival for an Eastern holiday the day I was here. My roommate, who had literally just arrived in the US for the first time from Vietnam the day before, found out about this and invited me to come with him.
Funny seeing so many people out in public at once. Ah those were the days.
Chinatown Cultural Center, Philadelphia
You wouldn't be able to guess it from its appearance, but this building began life as a typical brick rowhome like the buildings on either side of it. This set in particular was built in 1832, which sounds old but is probably close to average age for this part of town. Most of the rowhomes here were adapted for commercial use over the years; this one became the Chinatown YMCA in 1955, and changed names to the Chinatown Cultural and Community Center in 1967. The façade was redone to its current appearance in 1971 using materials from Taiwan's 1964 World's Fair Pavilion. Between the owner's advanced age, repairs the building needed, and some financial troubles, the center closed its doors in 2007. Plans for the building keep going back and forth between restoring and reopening it and demolishing it for new development, but so far nothing has happened. It would seem they're settling on a middle ground- last I heard, the current plan is to save the façade but build a new mid-rise apartment building behind it.
Grant's/Woolworth/Staples/Marshall's, Philadelphia (East Market)
This building was built as a Grant's in the mid-50's on the site of the Earl Theater. Grant's was previously located towards the other end of the block in what was most recently the Reebok building. After they closed in the 70's, it became a Woolworth which remained open until the chain went under. Their labelscar is still visible from some angles. Interestingly, prior to Robinson's (concave façade, to the left) opening in the mid-40's, Woolworth had a store right next door. Robinson actually reused the existing building, which dates back to the 1870's, and put a new front on it. After Woolworth closed the second time, the space was split between Staples and CVS. Staples closed in 2011, and was quickly replaced by Marshall's. This store's interesting since has a smaller footprint than most of their stores, but makes up for it by using 2 floors.
Urban Outfitters, Philadelphia (University City)
JCPenney/Burlington/AMC, Philadelphia (East Market)
Penney's opened as part of the Gallery Mall's expansion in the 80's, and closed its doors in 2003. Burlington then moved in, taking up the entire 3-level store. The original plan for the mall's redevelopment kept Burlington in this space, but once AMC signed on they were forced to move to the other end of the mall. Now, they take up the former Walgreens at street level and the long-vacant Strawbridge's basement below. AMC now occupies the top floor, and the lower floors are now split between an art gallery and inline stores.
This store opened in the early 2000's. At first I thought it was an old art deco building they repurposed, but it turns out it was built new for Urban as part of the larger hotel/bookstore project taking up the rest of the block.
Barnes & Noble/Penn Bookstore, Philadelphia (University City)
UPenn used to have an agreement with Barnes & Noble to operate their bookstore, which was originally located down the road in a more normal university-sized bookstore. In the early 2000's, they built this new store which was a full-scale 2-floor coffee-carrying B&N under a new hotel. For whatever reason, their deal with Penn fell apart, and for most of its life Penn has been operating it independently. Barnes & Noble returned to this part of town not long after, back in a small store again, after taking over Drexel's bookstore a few blocks away.
Old Pharmacy, Philadelphia (University City)
Penn has made a few changes during their tenure here, but it's still easily recognizable as a Barnes & Noble.
Aramark Headquarters Progress, Philadelphia (Rittenhouse Square)
Things have changed quite a bit since we last passed by here. The new floors are almost all framed out and demolition of the old spiral ramp is nearing completion.
I thought this old building was kinda cool. You don't see too many unaltered storefronts left from this era. I can't find exactly when it was built, but know it's been here since at least 1895 (I'd guess it was built in the 1880's). It hasn't been a pharmacy for ages, but their signs are still intact along the fascia. By the 70's it had become a health foods store, which closed sometime in the 90's. The apartments above it were still being used a little later, but their license expired at the end of 2012. I wouldn't use the word "abandoned," but currently it sits empty and semi-neglected.
The tenant on the end here was Aloosh, a hookah bar (between the number of college students and being in a heavily Arab part of town, there's quite a few of these around here) that opened in 2013 in what had previously been a Mexican restaurant. They shut down the first time after the fire in late 2016, which damaged the bar and totally destroyed their covered porch that used to be off to the left. After some restoration work, the indoor part reopened in late 2017, only to close again- this time permanently- for construction a year later. Not sure why they thought reopening was worth it, maybe they didn't think the plans would get approved?
A post-fire warning notice from the city was stuck in the window. They fixed it, but definitely not within the timeframe they were given.
Vitamin Shoppe, Exton, PA
The retail space looks like its being used for storage, possibly for stuff that was left behind in the apartments. Those shelves along the walls are probably original to the building, and would have been behind a counter back in the day.
Aloosh, Philadelphia (University City)
Before we get to talking about the bar itself, let's talk about the building it's in. This was a set of rowhomes built in 1870 that had fallen mostly into abandonment by the 1980's. To cater to the nearby schools, a developer bought the entire row in the 90's restoring and outfitting them as student apartments. They were sold again in 2017, shortly after a fire gutted the unit on the end (pictured), to another developer who wanted to raze the entire row for a larger apartment building. There was a rush to get it listed on the historic register before plans got approved, since it's rare to have a complete set of rowhomes this old. The plan worked, and the demolition application was denied... mostly. Instead, what they wound up doing was saving the front part of the building and putting up the new apartment building behind it. They saved more of it than a facadectomy would have, so I'd count it as a win.
The dining room didn't look too badly damaged, which is probably a big part of why they decided to reopen. They did have to get all new furniture as a result of the smoke (ok- it's a hookah bar, that shouldn't be a problem in this setting) and water damage, which I bet they're regretting now.
The new façade is coming together quickly. I really don't think this center needed it redone- the former front wasn't that old, but that being said I do like the new look.
Sleepy's/Mattress Firm, Newtown Square, PA
So I initially thought this was the town's original ACME. Their store was on the same road, and after ACME moved became a Mattress Giant. Mattress Firm bought Sleepy's in 2016, who bought Mattress Giant a few years prior. What I didn't realize was that this Mattress Giant didn't convert, since Sleepy's already had a store in town- this one.
McDonald's, Malvern, PA
In my life I've watched exactly two episodes of Rick & Morty, and don't plan on getting that number up anytime soon. That being said, I made sure to get to McDonald's on the infamous Szechuan Sauce because I am easily seduced by overhyped limited edition things. That and it sounded tasty. To my dismay, I learned that not every location carried it and Malvern wasn't one of the oh so privileged locations. The trip wasn't a total loss, as I got a burger and heavy dose of 80's fast food architecture out of it. Sadly, this location remodeled for the first time in 30+ years in 2018. Hasta la vista, wood paneled planters.
Cropper's/Stauffer's/Crop's, Downingtown, PA
If you'll recall, I covered this place's closing and went to its liquidation auction back in 2015. Back then, I was under the impression Giant would be tearing this down to build their new store. As it turns out, the planned Giant (which is still hasn't broken ground but hasn't been cancelled either) is going to be on the property next door. I'm curious what will happen with the Giant, since it was planned as a ~60K SF store back in the 2000's which is now very small by their current standards. I was further surprised to find out the Cropper family bought back their old store and did a total gut remodel before reopening it as "Crop's" in 2018.
Frazer Rite Aid Updates
The store hadn't been closed for long before they found a new tenant, who as anybody with half a brain would have done, started off by cutting some windows into the blank wall. What I wasn't expecting was for it to be a temporary tenant. It became a leasing office for a new assisted living facility that was under construction nearby for about two years, and closed it after the project was completed. The space is now listed as available, but I suspect it's only for short-term. The Giant next door hasn't remodeled since it opened as a Clemens almost 20 years ago, and this space would be perfect for them to expand into. Rite Aid was the same depth and height as Giant, so really all they'd have to do is take out the wall separating the two.
It's not quite a gut remodel but they're still doing more than I'd expect for a temporary tenant. They walled off part of the store, redid the flooring, repainted the walls, replaced the ceiling tile, and added shades to Eckerd's standard bare-bulb fixtures. If you look up above the ceiling brackets and wood frame that supports it, you can see the precast concrete ceiling, identical to Giant's.
Westtown Updates
At this point, they've finished framing out the western end of the façade and have almost totally finished the eastern.
Most of the wallboard is up as well, but there's still a little bit they've gotta finish. I believe the blue stuff is a primer they're putting on before applying the stucco. In back you can see a bit of the finished product. Huge step up from the green metal monster this place used to be.
I though it was kinda cool how you could see the different layers of progression in this corner. The further left you look, the more finished it is.
And here's the Giant itself! They opened a store with some of this gray tile on the front back in 2016, but this was the first store in the chain to get the full treatment.
How about we do some Aretha today?
Seeing that old McMansard smack-dab in the middle of Philly is really cool. Also do you remember which episodes of R&M you watched? I'm just curious since I'm a pretty big fan. If you can look past the cringe of the 2 biggest episodes, it's a phenomenal show.
ReplyDeleteThank you! It's a neat location, it's the only streetfront mansard I know of. I don't remember exactly which episodes I saw, but I'm fairly certain I saw the very first episode in the series and the first episode of whichever season started in late 2017.
DeleteYou're probably thinking of The Rickshank Redemption (Season 3 episode 1). That was the episode with the Szechuan Sauce references. The cringiest moments of the show happened pretty close within each other, with Pickle Rick airing just two episodes later. Even if you're not a fan of the show in general, I highly recommend any episode with Interdimensional Cable in it. That stuff is stellar improv humor.
DeleteI wish my college would have bussed me around on a field trip... :P
ReplyDeleteSo far, we've only had one other. It's what I miss most about elementary school.
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