Drive-By Photos 22
Happy New Year, everybody!
SuperFresh, Kennett Square, PA
The tape they used to cover up the windows has thankfully failed already, allowing me to get that last picture of the inside. The SuperFresh decals were left on the windows. I don't imagine the landlord was too concerned about getting these down, too.
Looks like the auction wasn't too huge of a success. From what I could see, the only things that sold were the cash registers. It's weird how they keep the store in total darkness. I thought they were required to keep a couple lights on for security.
All the exterior signage has been removed. These pictures were taken shortly after the auction, maybe three weeks after the store officially closed.
America Bar & Grille/Limoncello, Lionville, PA
This shopping center straddles the border between Lionville and Chester Springs, with this being in Chester Springs and the former SuperFresh being Lionville. I'm going to refer to this as Lionville just for the sake of simplicity. This opened with the center in 1995 as America Bar and Grille. I knew the owners. They still have several restaurants. They sold this one to a man who had just moved here from Italy, who renovated it into Limoncello, which opened in 2013. They have some phenomenal food, and an excellent lunch buffet. They somehow manage to keep the parking lot packed in a center with a vacant anchor! I have several friends who work here (This is one of about ten restaurants in Chester Springs, so job options here are pretty limited for people my age). While they apparently are not allowed to offer me discounts or give me an extra meatball, they do provide some good advice on what to order. If you're ever here, remember: Chicken Alfredo Sandwich.
Hampton Inn, Lionville, PA
I'm pretty sure this opened in 1992, although there is a chance it could be a couple years older. It hasn't changed one bit since it first opened. There are seven other hotels within walking distance, this being the only one of which that hasn't been built or remodeled within the past decade. It's pool might be the only thing keeping it in business! Update: Remodeled 2017.
Plaza 113, Lionville, PA
This center was built in the 80's. The anchor is currently Domino's Pizza (which just got the new logo last fall). Formerly, it was a karate studio, although that was not the original tenant. The store on the right has always been a Chinese restaurant. I know it used to be Zhu's Garden, and before that, it was another Garden, although I can't recall the owner's name. Up until this was remodeled (for the very first time) in 2014, the sign was spelled out in red duct tape on a yellow sheet of plastic, making name changes easy. The store left of center has always been a boutique, and the one to the right of that has been several things over the years. That is currently a realtor's office, although in recent years, it has also been a gym and a fireplace store.
Commerce/TD Bank, Lionville, PA
Commerce Bank opened here in 2004 on the site of the original Lionville McDonald's. It was converted to TD when they bought out the Commerce chain in 2009. Commerce Bank had an interesting history, which can be found here.
McDonald's, Lionville, PA
McDonald's originally opened a store with the shopping center in 1987. That was demolished in 2004 and replaced with this location, which may possibly be another retrofitted building. Google Earth shows a building this size and shape being here since 1999. The site of the original McDonald's is now TD Bank. This store was given the eyebrow treatment in 2012. For all the times I have gotten food from here, not once have I set foot inside since it was remodeled. I'm more of a drive-thru person. Some pictures from when it first reopened can be found here. You might want to look at that guy's photostream some more. He has a comprehensive collection of every form of McDonald's eyebrow décor. (I think this one is referred to as the "Simply Bold" look), along with some really nice restaurant pictures. Update: The interior is being remodeled once again as of December 2018.
Kraft Packaging
Here, we see the old Kraft logo beside the new one. This picture was taken well after they switched to the lowercase logo. Either they had a lot of leftover packaging, or Giant doesn't sell their mayo in a hurry. Tip: don't get mayonnaise here.
McDonald's, Downingtown, PA
This was built in the 60's, and is really showing its age. This one is always unbelievably busy, so I'm not sure why it hasn't been remodeled yet. (I am noticing a trend: the busier it is, the less likely they are to redo it) I guess the McDonald's people are hearing our pleas! Update: Remodeled Summer 2018. It actually looks really nice now- the exterior was done entirely in brick and stone.
Fire Creek/Stella Rossa, Downingtown, PA
I don't think this was affiliated with Sonoco. It sat abandoned for a while, before being renovated into Fire Creek (a restaurant) in 2007. That closed in 2014, and was quickly reopened as Stella Rossa, an Italian restaurant. Update: The smokestack has unfortunately been removed.
Sonoco Paper, Downingtown, PA
Although there had been a paper mill on the site for close to 200 years, I don't believe it was always owned by Sonoco. The buildings that remain were all built from the early 1900's to 60's. In 2005, a massive fire broke out here, causing severe damage. Insurance covered the losses, but it was officially announced in 2007 that they would not be reopening. Shortly thereafter, most of the older structures and areas damaged by the fire were demolished. The remainder has sat abandoned since then. The building is really easy to get into. Most of the people I know who live in the town have been inside on several occasions. Last winter, someone fell to their death from one of the upper levels. Police have been buzzing around here more often since then. This building received some more attention earlier this year when Donald Trump tweeted a picture of it, causing some uncalled for controversy. Update: Demolished 2018 for a new Downingtown train station.
Sonoco Paper/Maxwell's Hardware, Downingtown, PA
I think this was an administration building originally. The factory sold this part off pretty quickly, and it was soon split between Maxwell's Hardware and County Propane.
Gibson's Bridge, Downingtown, PA
This was built in 1872, and has somehow avoided replacement. The road it is on was switched to a one-way street due to the fact that only one car can pass through here at a time, and it would be dangerous to have people stopped waiting their turn to pass since it is right up against Downingtown Pike. This is also one of the very few covered bridges in the area to have interior lighting, probably as a result of this.
A&P/Roberts, Downingtown, PA
What better way is there to kick off the end of the school year for Downingtown East High than posting a (formerly) classic A&P right in the heart of town? This opened in the 50's as a barrel-roof A&P, which was given the centennial facade in the 60's. It didn't last too long after that, and was replaced by a new store across the street in 1972. Remarkably, the A&P façade stayed intact until last year. The 60's addition in front was torn down and rebuilt, and the garage area seen on the left was added on.
Magnavox-Zenith Spring City, PA
Despite still having signs out and a flag flying, this store is closed. That's not surprising. Magnavox is only a fraction of what it once was, and Zenith is, for all intents and purposes, defunct. It is nice seeing these logos still up; these date back to at least the 80's.
Turkey Hill, Spring City, PAThis was probably built in the 70's or 80's. It didn't always have a gas station, since Amoco, their former gas partner, operated right across the street. I'm not sure what was in the parking lot originally then. It seems too big for just parking.
Pottstown Plaza Sign
This was the sign for the former Pottstown Giant, whose relocation will be featured this weekend. This sign was replaced less than a week after I took this picture (I must have gotten lucky with my timing)! It looks like they are trying to revive this mostly dead center. Maybe ACME would be interested in returning to Pottstown?
Pottstown Plaza
Some more red and blue on the former Jamesway. It is certainly a bold color choice. It will be interesting to see in they repaint the whole center like that! Update: They didn't. It still all looks exactly like this.
They're starting to improve some things around here. For one, the lights are actually on again. This is a little hard to see in this picture, but the far side of the former Giant has been painted blue on the façade, and red under toe porch. Update: as of 2018, they've done literally nothing to this place since this picture was taken.
Friendly's, Pottstown, PA
This also opened in the 90's, making it one of Friendly's newest eateries.
Red Lobster, Pottstown, PA
This opened in 1995. I have always fund the location weird here. Red Lobster only has two locations anywhere near us. being this one and King of Prussia. Why of all places would they pick Pottstown?
Tom Oates, Spring City, PA
This opened in the 1920's as the Anselma Garage. It was expanded and started selling cars in the 50's. They got a Chevrolet franchise in 1974, which they lost 2008. They stayed in business selling antique cars and operating as a auto center until this past March, when it shut down after over 90 years of business.
Lowe's Garden Center
I'm not sure if this is just emptied out for winter, or if Lowe's is really scaling back this department. Home Depot's garden center was still well-stocked this late in October, so I'm assuming its the latter.
Sloan Ford Remodel
Compare to this picture, which was uploaded the day before this one was taken. The garage doors on the right of the building have been bricked up and the tower over the entrance was removed. Completed, the remodel actually looks really nice!
Subway, Lionville, PA
I believe this is original to the Shopping Center, opening in 1987. All the stores used to have teal signs with that lettering, although they have started to use normal logos now. I think this, a cleaners, and a barber shop are the only ones left with this style sign.
Gardner's Nursery, Lionville, PA
Outdoor garden area. The stone pillars are new. I think they were put in when they paved the parking lot. The parking lot is definitely an improvement!
The whole store used to be more like this and less like the next picture.
This was my first time here in years. I was actually shocked by how fancy it had become. It seems to have picked up right where Waterloo Gardens had left off! (Update: That's actually because WG's owners took this over) It used to feel like an oversized garden shed here.
SuperFresh Store Card
This card probably dates back to the mid-90's. It looks like it was only valid at our store; although I think towards the end, the policy was changed.
Grad Union Cart Straps
I have only been in a Grand Union once, probably over a decade ago. They closed most of their stores back in 2001, although a handful remained in upstate New York until 2013.
A farmers market near me somehow wound up with their carts. My inner kleptomaniac came out and I took these straps. I'm glad I did, since they got new carts the following year.
Downingtown McDonald's Drive-Thru
My last picture only showed the side facing Rt. 30, but the back part of the building is more interesting. This is the only McDonald's I know of with a drive-thru like this
Jamesway/Tractor Supply, Thorndale, PA
Shelves and moving equipment. In the spring, chickens are sold here.
Some Tractor Supply décor.
These are most likely the original restrooms. They would have been located in the center of the Jamesway.
I have already photographed this place once before, but I decided to get a little more in-depth this time.
Wendy's, Thorndale, PA
This one was originally built in the early 2000's, and was redone in the fall of 2015. It must have just reopened before I took this picture.
Thorndale Car Wash
Somehow, it outlasted a 90's-era full service BP carwash down the road. I guess Thorndale residents have some fierce brand loyalty. Either that, or the fishing bait helps out sales more than I would expect. Update: Demolished 2017 for a new Wawa
McDonald's, Thorndale, PA
This location dates back to at least the 80's. It has seen some genuinely sad attempts to fix it up over the last couple years. The red and white brickwork was painted over beige in 2012; the playground was demolished and the red roof was repainted the following year. In my opinion, they should have just stopped with the 2012 repaint. That being said, this one has great service, even at night!
Eckerd/Rite Aid, Thorndale, PA
This shopping center seems to have positioned their trees to block out signs intentionally. This opened in the 90's as an Eckerd. Rite Aid redid the exterior here just a couple months after they opened up. The brown paint was a huge improvement.
Ice Cream Junction, Thorndale, PA
Here we start to see the shadier side of the Main Line. There used to be an ice cream parlor here, which closed around 2005. Most of the parlor was demolished around 2010, leaving behind an original PRR caboose, a water tower, and a parking lot. A quick Google Images search reveals a lot about the building's previous life. The vacant parking lot in the background used to be a rather nice Amoco/BP, which was closed and demolished the same time. I think someone bought the properties with the intent of redeveloping them.
Coppa 82, Thorndale, PA
One year ago, this place looked a lot different. This remodel is probably doubling the original size of the building. You can see what it originally looked like here. The porch off to the side was added on around 2010. A massive fire started here a couple of years ago, essentially destroying the back half of the building. The owners were a little slow to rebuild, but something finally got going on last November. I'm not sure if Coppa is reopening, or if it will be a new business. Since they are reusing the existing building, I would assume they are.
H-G Used Cars, Thorndale, PA
If that sign is any indication, this place has been here for an eternity. The building itself appears to be uninterestingly modern, which makes me wonder how this sign has survived so much remodeling. I'm not sure if its the lack of clarity in the picture, but those actually look like nice cars to be selling at this seedy little used car lot.
Turkey Hill, Downingtown, PA
The Turkey Hill building was here long before they started selling gas. It was probably built in the 70's or 80's. It looked like they kept the original décor up until a remodel earlier this year. Gas pumps were added in the mid-90's. The roadside sign is shaped just like an old Amoco sign, which makes me think they had a partnership with Turkey Hill at one point. Turkey Hill is in charge of gas now. They took the reins around the time that Amoco was bought out. If anyone has more information, please let me know!
Arco/Texaco/Shell, Downingtown, PA
Anyways, Arco opened here in the 60's, and was converted to a Texaco in the 80's when the original tenant withdrew from the northeast market. in 2004, it was converted to a Shell. I remember the conversion taking place. For all the work they did, they preserved a large amount of the original architecture.
The tape they used to cover up the windows has thankfully failed already, allowing me to get that last picture of the inside. The SuperFresh decals were left on the windows. I don't imagine the landlord was too concerned about getting these down, too.
This shopping center straddles the border between Lionville and Chester Springs, with this being in Chester Springs and the former SuperFresh being Lionville. I'm going to refer to this as Lionville just for the sake of simplicity. This opened with the center in 1995 as America Bar and Grille. I knew the owners. They still have several restaurants. They sold this one to a man who had just moved here from Italy, who renovated it into Limoncello, which opened in 2013. They have some phenomenal food, and an excellent lunch buffet. They somehow manage to keep the parking lot packed in a center with a vacant anchor! I have several friends who work here (This is one of about ten restaurants in Chester Springs, so job options here are pretty limited for people my age). While they apparently are not allowed to offer me discounts or give me an extra meatball, they do provide some good advice on what to order. If you're ever here, remember: Chicken Alfredo Sandwich.
I'm pretty sure this opened in 1992, although there is a chance it could be a couple years older. It hasn't changed one bit since it first opened. There are seven other hotels within walking distance, this being the only one of which that hasn't been built or remodeled within the past decade. It's pool might be the only thing keeping it in business! Update: Remodeled 2017.
This center was built in the 80's. The anchor is currently Domino's Pizza (which just got the new logo last fall). Formerly, it was a karate studio, although that was not the original tenant. The store on the right has always been a Chinese restaurant. I know it used to be Zhu's Garden, and before that, it was another Garden, although I can't recall the owner's name. Up until this was remodeled (for the very first time) in 2014, the sign was spelled out in red duct tape on a yellow sheet of plastic, making name changes easy. The store left of center has always been a boutique, and the one to the right of that has been several things over the years. That is currently a realtor's office, although in recent years, it has also been a gym and a fireplace store.
Commerce Bank opened here in 2004 on the site of the original Lionville McDonald's. It was converted to TD when they bought out the Commerce chain in 2009. Commerce Bank had an interesting history, which can be found here.
McDonald's originally opened a store with the shopping center in 1987. That was demolished in 2004 and replaced with this location, which may possibly be another retrofitted building. Google Earth shows a building this size and shape being here since 1999. The site of the original McDonald's is now TD Bank. This store was given the eyebrow treatment in 2012. For all the times I have gotten food from here, not once have I set foot inside since it was remodeled. I'm more of a drive-thru person. Some pictures from when it first reopened can be found here. You might want to look at that guy's photostream some more. He has a comprehensive collection of every form of McDonald's eyebrow décor. (I think this one is referred to as the "Simply Bold" look), along with some really nice restaurant pictures. Update: The interior is being remodeled once again as of December 2018.
Here, we see the old Kraft logo beside the new one. This picture was taken well after they switched to the lowercase logo. Either they had a lot of leftover packaging, or Giant doesn't sell their mayo in a hurry. Tip: don't get mayonnaise here.
This was built in the 60's, and is really showing its age. This one is always unbelievably busy, so I'm not sure why it hasn't been remodeled yet. (I am noticing a trend: the busier it is, the less likely they are to redo it) I guess the McDonald's people are hearing our pleas! Update: Remodeled Summer 2018. It actually looks really nice now- the exterior was done entirely in brick and stone.
I don't think this was affiliated with Sonoco. It sat abandoned for a while, before being renovated into Fire Creek (a restaurant) in 2007. That closed in 2014, and was quickly reopened as Stella Rossa, an Italian restaurant. Update: The smokestack has unfortunately been removed.
Although there had been a paper mill on the site for close to 200 years, I don't believe it was always owned by Sonoco. The buildings that remain were all built from the early 1900's to 60's. In 2005, a massive fire broke out here, causing severe damage. Insurance covered the losses, but it was officially announced in 2007 that they would not be reopening. Shortly thereafter, most of the older structures and areas damaged by the fire were demolished. The remainder has sat abandoned since then. The building is really easy to get into. Most of the people I know who live in the town have been inside on several occasions. Last winter, someone fell to their death from one of the upper levels. Police have been buzzing around here more often since then. This building received some more attention earlier this year when Donald Trump tweeted a picture of it, causing some uncalled for controversy. Update: Demolished 2018 for a new Downingtown train station.
I think this was an administration building originally. The factory sold this part off pretty quickly, and it was soon split between Maxwell's Hardware and County Propane.
This was built in 1872, and has somehow avoided replacement. The road it is on was switched to a one-way street due to the fact that only one car can pass through here at a time, and it would be dangerous to have people stopped waiting their turn to pass since it is right up against Downingtown Pike. This is also one of the very few covered bridges in the area to have interior lighting, probably as a result of this.
What better way is there to kick off the end of the school year for Downingtown East High than posting a (formerly) classic A&P right in the heart of town? This opened in the 50's as a barrel-roof A&P, which was given the centennial facade in the 60's. It didn't last too long after that, and was replaced by a new store across the street in 1972. Remarkably, the A&P façade stayed intact until last year. The 60's addition in front was torn down and rebuilt, and the garage area seen on the left was added on.
Despite still having signs out and a flag flying, this store is closed. That's not surprising. Magnavox is only a fraction of what it once was, and Zenith is, for all intents and purposes, defunct. It is nice seeing these logos still up; these date back to at least the 80's.
This was the sign for the former Pottstown Giant, whose relocation will be featured this weekend. This sign was replaced less than a week after I took this picture (I must have gotten lucky with my timing)! It looks like they are trying to revive this mostly dead center. Maybe ACME would be interested in returning to Pottstown?
Some more red and blue on the former Jamesway. It is certainly a bold color choice. It will be interesting to see in they repaint the whole center like that! Update: They didn't. It still all looks exactly like this.
This also opened in the 90's, making it one of Friendly's newest eateries.
This opened in 1995. I have always fund the location weird here. Red Lobster only has two locations anywhere near us. being this one and King of Prussia. Why of all places would they pick Pottstown?
This opened in the 1920's as the Anselma Garage. It was expanded and started selling cars in the 50's. They got a Chevrolet franchise in 1974, which they lost 2008. They stayed in business selling antique cars and operating as a auto center until this past March, when it shut down after over 90 years of business.
Pearl's Farm Market, Ludwig's Corner, PA
Pearl's originally operated out of a barn further up Rt. 100, but moved here in the mid-2000's because the old location was in the middle of nowhere.
I'm not sure if this is just emptied out for winter, or if Lowe's is really scaling back this department. Home Depot's garden center was still well-stocked this late in October, so I'm assuming its the latter.
Compare to this picture, which was uploaded the day before this one was taken. The garage doors on the right of the building have been bricked up and the tower over the entrance was removed. Completed, the remodel actually looks really nice!
I believe this is original to the Shopping Center, opening in 1987. All the stores used to have teal signs with that lettering, although they have started to use normal logos now. I think this, a cleaners, and a barber shop are the only ones left with this style sign.
Outdoor garden area. The stone pillars are new. I think they were put in when they paved the parking lot. The parking lot is definitely an improvement!
This card probably dates back to the mid-90's. It looks like it was only valid at our store; although I think towards the end, the policy was changed.
I have only been in a Grand Union once, probably over a decade ago. They closed most of their stores back in 2001, although a handful remained in upstate New York until 2013.
A farmers market near me somehow wound up with their carts. My inner kleptomaniac came out and I took these straps. I'm glad I did, since they got new carts the following year.
My last picture only showed the side facing Rt. 30, but the back part of the building is more interesting. This is the only McDonald's I know of with a drive-thru like this
Downingtown CVS
Shelves and moving equipment. In the spring, chickens are sold here.
This one was originally built in the early 2000's, and was redone in the fall of 2015. It must have just reopened before I took this picture.
Somehow, it outlasted a 90's-era full service BP carwash down the road. I guess Thorndale residents have some fierce brand loyalty. Either that, or the fishing bait helps out sales more than I would expect. Update: Demolished 2017 for a new Wawa
This location dates back to at least the 80's. It has seen some genuinely sad attempts to fix it up over the last couple years. The red and white brickwork was painted over beige in 2012; the playground was demolished and the red roof was repainted the following year. In my opinion, they should have just stopped with the 2012 repaint. That being said, this one has great service, even at night!
This shopping center seems to have positioned their trees to block out signs intentionally. This opened in the 90's as an Eckerd. Rite Aid redid the exterior here just a couple months after they opened up. The brown paint was a huge improvement.
Here we start to see the shadier side of the Main Line. There used to be an ice cream parlor here, which closed around 2005. Most of the parlor was demolished around 2010, leaving behind an original PRR caboose, a water tower, and a parking lot. A quick Google Images search reveals a lot about the building's previous life. The vacant parking lot in the background used to be a rather nice Amoco/BP, which was closed and demolished the same time. I think someone bought the properties with the intent of redeveloping them.
One year ago, this place looked a lot different. This remodel is probably doubling the original size of the building. You can see what it originally looked like here. The porch off to the side was added on around 2010. A massive fire started here a couple of years ago, essentially destroying the back half of the building. The owners were a little slow to rebuild, but something finally got going on last November. I'm not sure if Coppa is reopening, or if it will be a new business. Since they are reusing the existing building, I would assume they are.
If that sign is any indication, this place has been here for an eternity. The building itself appears to be uninterestingly modern, which makes me wonder how this sign has survived so much remodeling. I'm not sure if its the lack of clarity in the picture, but those actually look like nice cars to be selling at this seedy little used car lot.
The Turkey Hill building was here long before they started selling gas. It was probably built in the 70's or 80's. It looked like they kept the original décor up until a remodel earlier this year. Gas pumps were added in the mid-90's. The roadside sign is shaped just like an old Amoco sign, which makes me think they had a partnership with Turkey Hill at one point. Turkey Hill is in charge of gas now. They took the reins around the time that Amoco was bought out. If anyone has more information, please let me know!
Anyways, Arco opened here in the 60's, and was converted to a Texaco in the 80's when the original tenant withdrew from the northeast market. in 2004, it was converted to a Shell. I remember the conversion taking place. For all the work they did, they preserved a large amount of the original architecture.
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