Drive-By Photos 19
In celebration of their (2015- maybe I should have made another post for 2017!) NCAA championship victory, I decided to put up some pictures I took of Villanova back in 2013. It is situated right on Rt. 30 between Radnor and Bryn Mawr, so I go by it a lot.
There are several beautiful stone buildings on campus here.
This was built in the late 60's. The façade is hiding the original pitched roof. ACME was much more outgoing about replacing older stores in the 70's. This one was no more than 10 years old when they moved out.
They were closed for the night by the time I got here. I had to settle for some place else, but at least I got a picture of the sign!
This restaurant is home to the original Philly Cheesesteak. It was opened by Pat Oliveri (The cheesesteak's inventor) in the 1930's, although this is not the original location. It used to operate out of a streetcart.
Right across the street from Pat's, one can find Geno's. They have been here since the 60's. I have heard some people say it is better than Pat's, but I personally prefer the original.
These pictures were from late August, just as schools were starting up again. As a result, this place was a bit of a mess.
This location has been kept surprisingly intact despite not having been an Arco for over 30 years. It still has a garage, the brick hasn't been painted over, the original siding and cupola remain, and it even has the original lights! Recently, they have stopped selling gas here. It remains open as just a service station.
Construction has begun converting the former Nova Bank into the Lionville Natural Pharmacy. Aside from an addition being built, the exterior was kept largely intact.
This, too, was built around 2004. It was originally Swiss Farms, a drive-through dairy. That closed after a couple of years, and this sat vacant for about eight years. Pronto Pizza opened here in 2012, but they relocated to Thorndale in late 2014. Once again, this building sits empty. Update: Demolished August 2016. Update 2: Freddy's now stands on the site as of late 2018.
Chick-Fil-A, Lionville, PA
This opened around 2004. I wind up eating here a lot. It was given a rather in-depth remodel a couple of years ago, so I feels brand-new on the inside.
This house was built in 1965 on a massive property. This is the side that faced a back road, where its address technically is. The driveway came through connecting it to 113 as well. Four years later, their easy access to the highway was cut off when 113 was moved. This house was abandoned in 2001, probably due to the high cost of the property. It finally sold in August, 2015 for $850,000. Less than 24 hours after this picture was taken, the house was completely demolished. I took this picture on a Wednesday, thinking that I could come back here the following weekend and explore the property a little more. Turns out I missed my chance there.
Turn-dial phone. I didn't know anyone actually still used these. I came back later with a hammer and salvaged it.
This also opened in 1997. I ate here a couple times, and was never very impressed. The food was okay, but the clientele was enough to scare me away. This location closed last month.
I think this is Hilton's extended stay hotel concept. This is being built in a small parking lot behind a senior center (which was a hotel at one point itself, it was owned by the same people who operated the farmer's market. That family had a connection with Mickey Rooney, who the hotel was named after. They also operated a motel across the street, the site of which is now home to Wegman's.
Wawa, Lionville, PA
I know I have a ton of pictures of this place and its various incarnations up already, but I liked how this one came out.
This house is probably a bit older than the other two. For all I know, it could date back to the colonial days, but I would guess it is newer than that. I would guess it is from the earlier part of the 19th century. There isn't anything I can find online about these houses, leading me to believe there isn't any major historical significance protecting these buildings. The property is most likely currently owned by a developer.
This certainly looks like an older location, possibly from the 70's. The corner was redeveloped around 2000, but I'm not sure it was part of that. This is a timeless design, so it probably didn't need much updating. Update: Closed mid-2018.
This opened in the late 90's or early 00's. I think there used to be apartments on the site.
I think this is the first time I have seen one of these old curved-front Gulfs still being used as a gas station.
As far as Getty stations go, this one is in incredible condition. I guess they try to keep this one up-to-snuff in order to compete here.
This area is inundated with these tiny old gas stations. Somehow, they all manage to compete with each other. You can see the next two in today's photo set from this one.
I don't think I have ever seen a green 7/11 before. It must be a new concept. It goes nicely with the older design.
SuperFresh, Philadelphia (Roxborough)
This store has a complicated history. A&P opened here in the 70's, and closed down for a rebuild in 2007 as a SuperFresh. However, after the original store had been demolished, they couldn't afford to rebuild it. It finally opened in October, 2009. This store closed last fall. I would have expected the 60-year-old ACME across the street to have tried relocating here, but no bids were replaced on this store. Update: Now Target, who has surprisingly kept the SF façade intact.
Shoprite took over this location when Food Fair went under. They kept this store relatively up-to-date. It recently received the script logo, it can be seen previously here.
This opened around 1981 as a Rite Aid, which closed in the late 90's. It was later home to a couple other stores before finally becoming Auto Zone in 2008.
Unlike most chain restaurants, Pizza Hut makes no attempt to cover up closed locations. The fence makes me think it may have been a western-themed bar at some point. Davia's appears to have just opened.
I doubt that is the original sign, although it is the original logo. This has been around since the 50's or 60's. I think it relocated here in the 80's.
This looks a lot like their Phoenixville location. I think it was redone in 2014.
This is an older DD, but it was recently redone. I think the awning used to be orange.
Family Dollar, Philadelphia (Roxborough)
This building was probably a pharmacy or grocery store originally. It appears to have been built in the 30's. I think Family Dollar has been here for a while now.
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