Drive-By Photos 18
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Walmart opened around 2010 in a space formerly shared by Linens N' Things and Marshalls. LNT closed a couple years before that, and Marshalls moved to another space in the shopping center.
This opened in the early 90's on the site of a gas station. I have always liked how it looked at night.
A look at the back of this building. The bridge was put on in the 80's to serve as an emergency exit.
I wouldn't be surprised if this is the only strip mall Wawa left that isn't the anchor. It is incredibly outdated, but nonetheless feels clean and well-maintained (except for the sign!) Update: Has since relocated as of 2017. This will be torn down before too long when the center is redeveloped.
Their new exterior design really goes nicely on the locations they picked up from Arco. It was probably designed with Sunoco's 60's stores in mind, but they were very similar to those Arco operated.
At the bottom of the One Liberty Place Tower, there is a relatively small mall. It is probably the second busiest mall in the area despite its size. Busiest, of course, would be King of Prussia.
I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure Wendy's goes into the next storefront over. These places all either just opened, or had just been remodeled. Correction: "The Wendy's was originally located where the Wells Fargo is now." -mrambojr.
Other comments on the picture: "That Wendy's mannequin is kinda creepy." -andsome96
"I agree with andsome96. Not sure I'd feel about seeing that in person." -Random Retail
I just loved the architecture of this place.
This became a BB&T late last year after Susquehanna sold out. It really bothers me that they wrote Susquehanna on the front of the awning twice, in addition to having it five other places on the outside of the building.
...or as many call it, "That dinosaur place". The entire front portion of this building is occupied by about a dozen assembled dinosaur skeletons. This museum recently celebrated their 200th anniversary, although it has only been in this building, its fourth location, since the 1870's. A couple of years ago, it was sold to Drexel University, who now operates it.
The former entrance to the hotel building. This closed last summer, even though the replacement is nowhere near completion. I think whoever is moving in now may have bribed them to close early.
This building dates back to an era when Holiday Inns were actually nice places to stay. I believe it became Embassy Suites in the 90's.
This very abstract depiction of Franklin was put up in the early 80's, and is really showing its age. The bridge it sits on is going to be replaced sometime soon, making me wonder what will become of this.
This is a tiny store. I guess there isn't really any room for a Home Depot or Lowes anywhere in this part of the city, which explains how this place has held on for so long.
This sign just screams 1980, as do most non-historic things in this city.
"The Circuit City relocated down the street to the shopping center with Super Fresh (later Pathmark) in Berwyn in 1996; the Staples opened around 1999-2000. Also of note is the Five Below in the picture; that's actually the first store in the chain (it opened in 2002)." -Joshaustin610
An update to this picture.
I have always liked how this place has trees growing on the roof. It would be in their best interest to prune them, as they are completely blocking the sign.
Besides adding a cupola and building out the garage space, this place retains most of the original Exxon architecture.
One of my favorite things about Paulsboro is that everything seems to be stuck back in the 60's. This gas station is a prime example of that. Despite no longer selling gas, they have kept the building beautifully maintained and original to the Esso design.
This looks like t was built in the 1920's. I'm not sure if it was ever affiliated with a chain. It has clearly been empty for a while, but I would assume it has been even longer since they last sold gas. Those pumps probably haven't been used in 40 years.
It looks like they still have those bathrooms on the outside, even though the service center had been converted into a store. Normally, they would upgrade the bathrooms with these conversions.
Update: Has since been remodeled.
This place has been operating here since the 70's. Over the years, it has been added on to at least three times. This place is huge, and very easy to get lost in.
Piazza Mazda, Westtown, PA
Even though it will be far from completion, this port will be operational by the end of next year. You can see Philadelphia in the background.
I spent about 15 minutes trying to figure out what this place was. Apparently it was a Texaco. It should have been obvious. They even left the old sign frame in place! That's fifteen minutes of my life I'm never getting back.
This place was built in 2015. It opened shortly after this picture was taken.
I feel like Sunoco puts a lot more work in keeping these inner city stores nice than they do the ones out in the suburbs. Oddly enough, they are headquartered in Newtown Square, very close to these neglected locations.
Even though the building was nearing completion, they still hadn't done any site work, so it probably wasn't very close to opening when I took this picture. I think it finally opened in late 2015.
Subway, Philadelphia (Center)
I think I was actually trying to get a picture of the construction going on here, but the Subway inadvertently got in the picture. The entrance on this side was closed while they were working on the sidewalk, so I would assume there is another door on the side facing the Parkway.
This building was originally Provident Bank, although Rite Aid has been operating here for about twenty years. It is a very upscale store- high ceilings, chandeliers, and intricate plasterwork can all be found inside. It has the first Wellness remodel.
This opened in 1938 as Nick's Café. Over the years, they evolved into a roast beef restaurant. Very recently, they opened two new locations in the suburbs: Springfield and West Chester.
Conestoga Bank, Philadelphia (South)
I'm not sure if this was a bank prototype at one point, or if this was the only one. I think this building dates back to the 80's, so chances are it wasn't always a Conestoga.
Of all the gas stations out there, Getty is the worst at keeping their stations up-to-date. I suppose it is good for preserving these classic locations, but these are run-down to a point where they are displeasing to shop at. Update: Demolished 2017
This opened in the 50's as a Penn Fruit, and closed with the chain in 1977. At some point, it became a CVS. The CVS was last remodeled in 2011. Unfortunately, a drop ceiling has been added.
Here's what it would have looked like originally. Apparently the Penn Fruit sign is still intact up top, and the CVS one is just mounted over top of it.
This opened in the early 2000's, replacing the 33M location at Oregon & Third (Seen at the bottom of today's post) and an older pitched-roof store a few blocks west. It still has the Marketplace décor, although it has recently opened a beer department.
This is probably the most unusual Rite Aid out there. It was built in a triangle shape to fit the property. It appears to have the latest décor, despite still having the old signage outside.
This opened in the 80's, and closed with the chain in 2015. It kept its original décor up until the very end. You can see some of it here.
ACME/Oregon Market, Philadelphia (South)
This was built in 1964 as a pitched-roof store, which was expanded to the 33M format in the 70's. The store closed in 2002 when a replacement was built down the street. It then became a furniture store for a little while, and is now Oregon Market, an Asian grocer.
The Pumps Of The Gas Station On Photo 38 (Philly Gas) Look Like Re-Used Sunoco-Style Pumps.
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