Flickr Photos 37
This is the view I got while exiting the highway. The picture makes the town look deceptively large, even though it is barely more than a street crossing.
This one looks like it was built in the 90's, although it has the layout most commonly used in the 80's.
This is a relatively new store, which looks like it was built in the 2000's. The convenience store looks like it mainly carries tobacco, and a little food on the side.
This is an endcap for a very run-down shopping center, anchored by a Shurfine store.
Fun fact: This stands on the site of one of Joseph Smith's, the founder of Mormonism's, former homes.
The shopping center this is in was built in the late 60's, which looks about right for this restaurant outparcel. A 2015 Streetview shows this still having ball-shaped pendant lights hanging from the eaves
This was a pretty interesting McDonald's. I wish I had gotten some better pictures of it! Not only is the brick still unpainted, but the windows still had the original golden arches relief panels under them, which still had the original paint colors.
This opened in the late 60's as a smaller model pitched-roof store. It was expanded sometime in the 70's or early 80's. In 1995, it was sold to Penn Traffic, when ACME pulled out of the NEPA region (Now that PT's gone, and ACME seems to be on the expansion again, I wouldn't be surprised if they came back!). It was rebranded to BiLo. BiLo closed before the bankruptcy, and the store became an independent Big M supermarket, which closed in 2010. It hasn't had a permanent tenant since then.
This opened in 2012. I'm not sure if it's just the angle, but this location looks significantly wider than the ones I'm used to seeing.
This has been abandoned since at very least 2012. It was most recently the Trail Diner, named after the Lackawanna Trail. The vestibule appears to have been rebuilt at some point; the stainless steel body otherwise matches Pottstown's Rosedale Diner. which was probably built by the same manufacturer.
Apparently, this has become a Gulf station sometime within the past year. I get the impression that the Valero name is being phased out, now that Valero no longer owns the stations.
It took me a minute to figure out what this was originally. It has been expanded and remodeled, disguising the original look.
This franchise is operated by a local heating oil company.
This looks like a 70's/80's convenience store. The canopy appears to have been rebuilt by Exxon, probably in the 90's.
The dining area. I really like these newer rest stops. The old ones had drop ceilings, fluorescent lighting, and a overall nondescript interior.
Founded 1812 is carved in the front, although I get the impression this building is significantly newer. After the bank closed, it served as a lower-end retail and office building, before being converted into facilities for Rutgers University in 2015.
This was built in 2001 for the Camden Riversharks, an American League team. It was owned by Rutgers University, who would also use it for their school team. The stadium was sold in 2015. After being unable to reach an agreement with the new owners, the Riversharks dissolved before the 2015-16 season. Rutgers still uses it for their games, although the stadium is technically closed.
Going over the top, you never realize how massive this bridge is. I believe it actually goes over three different roads after it crosses into New Jersey.
A view of the river from the BB&T pavilion. The seats in the outdoor portion of the theater were nice (and cheap!), but didn't provide a great view of the actual concert.
Daryl Hall
I believe they were playing Maneater when I got this photo.
This was the first actual professional concert I had been to, so I took a lot of pictures and some videos. Only upon looking at them afterwards did I notice that the pictures only really showed the screens projecting for the people sitting in back (ie: me), and the video only picked up me singing along (I'll spare you the pain of making you watch that). Concerts are best enjoyed in the moment, which I did. :P
Pictured: for the last act, Chubby Checker (by the way, I just learned that he lives in Malvern and shops at the Rite Aid there) came on stage and sang The Twist with Hall & Oates.
The remodel really helped this center out. I like the new look a lot. The one part that was not redone was Outback, which surprisingly moved into the former King of Prussia Sears Auto Center.
TruMark has been on a remodeling push lately, and by remodeling, I mean completely gutting out/knocking down their branches and rebuilding them. This one got to keep its original walls. That was about it.
This is Mobil's only remaining station in my area. I would have expected them to rebrand this one to Exxon when they took it back from Lukoil in 2013, just to match their other locations. This is a nice station, but whenever I think of it, I can't help but remember that you have to go outside to get to the restrooms. It was a traumatic experience. :P
This abandoned ranch house was demolished about a week after I got this picture. Call it good timing on my part, since I had no idea that was going to happen.
The title from the previous picture works well enough here, too.
It's been approximately one year since I took this picture. Wow, a lot has changed since then. The Radioshack and vacant paint store next door have both essentially been demolished and rebuilt as this shopping center is renovated.
At this point, this is the only part of the Exton Kmart that hasn't been knocked down. Either they forgot about it (since it's on a side entrance behind another shopping center), or Whole Foods is planning on reusing it.
I came by here again a little further into the closing sale to see if there was anything good for sale. I found a couple balls for my dog in a bin, which didn't have price tags. I got them for free.
My dog really likes the bocce ball. She takes it to the top of the stairs then drops it down. It's both as annoying and as funny as it sounds.
This Sunoco closed for a while between 2012 and 2014. It reopened for a while (as pictured, obviously), but shut down again earlier this year. All the signs are still up, but covered with a tarp just like last time. My guess is that this closure isn't permanent, either.
Mobil/Lukoil, West Chester, PA
Despite spending 20 years as a Lukoil, the Mobil plastic sign remained behind the canopy the whole time. This was demolished later last summer for the area's first Freddy's. While the Mobil building and canopy are both gone, Freddy's recycled the original parking lot lights, curb, and it looks like even the pavement, too.
Looking at the roof, I'm positive this was something else originally. That is way too tall for a McDonald's.
This store opened in the 60's or early 70's, and closed in 2013 when a replacement was built down the road. The sign post is a giveaway of its age: the flat part under the actual sign frame is a remnant of the original lantern-shaped logo. Later model stores also used two poles instead of one.
From what I could find (which wasn't much), Emporium was a very small, local chain of gas stations. Their other stations are now Gulf. The building looks more like an industrial/warehouse-type building, with maybe some office space in front. I can be reasonably certain this was not built as a gas station.
Update: "I pass this place all of the time because I have friends in the area and used to stop here because the prices were always cheaper the others close by. Here's the history: It was originally a Mobil in the early 80s. It became a Gulf by the mid-80s. I was actually in there getting gas when the truck came and took the Gulf sign down! Imagine how unnerving that was! This was around 2000 and it changed to Emporium with just a plain blue oval. This stayed for about 3-4 years. Then, oddly enough, it went back to Gulf around 2004. It stayed Gulf for about a year or so and then went back to Emporium with this rip off of the Amoco torch and oval. It never was an Amoco and I never understood how they got away with using that logo without being sued by BP, who owned Amoco by the time this went up in 2006 or so. I guess BP didn't care since they had retired the name. It's been vacant around 8 years at least. This pole with the Emporium price board on it is where the original 80s era Gulf sign was mounted that I watched being removed." -pauled8no1
I really love these 1920's/30's-style Gulf stations. They almost look oriental.
This opened in 1969 as a W. T. Grant's/Grant City store, which was bought by Kmart when the chain went under in the late 70's. It was not one of Kmart's more successful conversions. It didn't make it past the early 80's. Ames then had a try at this store. After they went out of business, a couple of thrift stores came and went from parts of this space, and a repair shop operated out of the auto center for a while. The auto center, along with the remaining Dollar General and ARC center further down the strip mall, were evicted in 2011 due to the building being in such horrible shape. Most of the center is now being renovated, but the Grant's building was too far gone to save. Apparently, you need a respirator to even get inside there. It now sits fenced off, awaiting demolition.
The store itself is closed, although the gas pumps are operational. The new facade has taken shape since last time.
The annex has been completely removed, and work has begun gutting out the original building.
This building was put up in 1967, so I'm positive there was something else here prior to Houlihan's, which closed around 2010. The building didn't sit vacant for long, and was soon turned into Joe's Crab Shack. They had a fairly short run, and closed last fall. Update: Now a Longhorn Steakhouse as of 2018.
Target opened here in 2007, and was built on the site of a very seedy former holiday Inn. As of last month, this store is currently being remodeled. I haven't seen a remodel like this before, so I'm very curious to see how it turns out.
This store opened as a standalone department store in the 60's. There used to be a few of these out here, but now it's just down to Saks and Lord & Taylor (and I guess the Target just over the city line, if that counts).
This Arco cleaned up nicely. This is definitely one of the more unique conversions I've seen.
Royal Bank has two buildings that used to be identical. This is their headquarters. The building on the right was heavily remodeled, while the building on the left was left as-is. I imagine they are planning on redoing that at some point, too.
Update: This is now home to Bryn Mawr Trust.
The former Macy's is sitting vacant for the time being. Part of the building is now in the process of being turned into a nail salon, indicating that they will probably be subdividing the space a little more. Suburban Square is planning on adding an apartment complex, which would involve the demolition of the existing Urban Outfitters. I think it is more than likely they will relocate here, at least temporarily. Update: Now divided between Lifetime Athletic and West Elm.
Wendy's opened here in the 90's. A small section of the facade facing the road has their traditional copper roof. Not sure why they didn't wrap it around like they usually do (or should I say, "did").
The neon on the side of Phoenixville's Kmart could use some work. Perhaps the new logo while they're at it? Update: Not gonna happen. Closing early 2019.
So the convenience store has changed names again. Instead of Subway, it is now a generic Food Mart. I'm curious why A-Plus didn't make it here, it's a fairly new building, and the gas station seems to be doing well.
This store closed before the shopping center renovations were even finished. I think their sign spent about 2 months on this newly built façade. Update: Is now a Kirkland's as of 2018.
One of the things I really like about this store is the local-style decor. This shopping center sits very close to Valley Forge Park, so they went with a revolutionary war theme.
PLCB replaced their Wine & Spirits brand with Fine Wine & Good Spirits a few years ago. They haven't been in too much of a hurry to rebrand the stores. Only new or remodeled locations have it. Since the state government is considering privatizing liquor stores, I doubt they will ever have the new name on all of the stores.
Fun Fact: the PLCB buys more alcohol per year than anybody else in the world, and as a result actually is able to sell some stuff much cheaper.
So this is where it all started, store number one. It opened October 4, 2002. The chain has now grown to 590 stores, with many more planned to open later this year.
Circuit City/Staples, Wayne, PA
Circuit City opened here in the 80's, and relocated across the street to what was most recently an hhgregg in 1996. Staples took over, and kept Circuit City's brick tower up until last year. This store is now allegedly on the chopping block for the 70 closures that were announced earlier this year.
I believe this building was first built back in the 80's, although I can't find much on it. Pickles opened around 2012, and was sold to local bar chain Big Woody's since this picture was taken. 2 of their 6 restaurants are located in former Hollywood Video stores.
So that's five tenants in the 31 years this store has been open, which averages out to a little over six years per pharmacy.
This opened as American Stores' Rea & Derick pharmacy in 1986, which they sold off to CVS in the early 90's. CVS relocated out of there less than a year later. The store sat vacant for a while, until Thrift Drug moved in, which then got swallowed up by Eckerd, and subsequently Rite Aid.
This location had a generic 7/11 gas station up until 2015. Mobil had the entire fuel station rebuilt when they opened in 2016.
I'm surprised they went with Mobil here, since this is definitely Exxon territory.
As far as banks built by Susquehanna go, this is a somewhat large location. The skylights are an interesting touch.
This location still has the old-fashioned "Old-Fashioned Hamburgers" sign out front, so it's gotta be pretty old. The glass atrium in front dates it to at least the 80's, maybe before.
I looked up the Yelp reviews this place is getting. It sounds completely awful.
Given the restaurant's age and poor reviews, I wouldn't be surprised if a total rebuild is in order.
It seems like they've been pushing to either downsize or close these older sit-down restaurants. It's a shame, IMO, since I WOULD utilize the ability to eat there IF I still has a sit-sown restaurant in my area.
(Pizza Hut: If you're reading this, take a hint.)
CVS opened this store in 2009, replacing their 1992 store, which replaced the short-lived location down the street.
Judging by the Kroger-era signage and stripes on the building, I was assuming that this would have a more modern decor inside.
Well, I was wrong, :P
This decor, while not too terribly old, was the last one used by Turkey Hill prior to Kroger rolling out one decor and logo for all their gas stations to share.
Fun Fact: While Kroger is in control of Turkey Hill, their Kansas-based subsidiary, Dillon's, is the official owner of the brand.
I always get excited when I find these old Arco stations that still have the original canopy. They're not exactly a rare find, but they didn't build very many of these, either.
It really bothers me how they put the convenience store under the canopy. Seriously, its like putting a roof over another roof. Not to mention, they could fit in two more pumps if they set the store back from the canopy a little bit. I can see they have the room in back to do it.
Alright, rant over.
So, this actually opened as a Mobil, but was rebanded to an Exxon after the merger. I'm not sure why they did that here, only to open another Mobil in town a few years later.
This started out as a fairly short-lived Lexus dealership, which it still retains the look of. It became a marble and granite showroom after the dealership closed.
East Penn was purchased by First Niagara around 2010. From what I can tell this was not picked up by Key Bank, and is now closed.
IHOP closed here at least 10 years ago. Le Spa has been operating here for a while now. They are probably the ones who replaced the blue roof.
This station's had a busy life. Valero opened this location around 2010, after Lukoil shut this down.
This building remained operational as a Texaco until around 2000. Afterwards, it became an independent station operating as Pipeline Petroleum. That closed by 2014, and this became what looks like a car dealership.
Dunkin' Donuts shares a building with a copy shop, both of which originally had the 70's Dunkin' façade. DD remodeled their portion in the early 2000's, although the copy shop retains the old look.
As Billy Joel might say:
Well we're shopping here in Allentown,
And they're closing all the groceries down,
Out in Shoprite they're leasing space...
Shoprite built this store in the 50's or 60's, and pulled the plug in 1992. It then became Food 4 Less, a discount chain owned by Fleming (they also owned Festival Foods), which went bankrupt in 2003. Food 4 Less was picked up by Kroger, and Festival appears to now be an independent company. This store was weird: it continued operation independently of Kroger after the bankruptcy, but ultimately closed a few years later. It sat vacant for a while, before finally becoming Bottom Dollar. It closed in January, 2015 with the rest of the stores that were not picked up by Aldi.
I thought these two were unusual anchor tenants for a mall. This is a place I would love to check out at some point.
Lord and Taylor is one of Palisade's larger anchor stores, and one of two remaining traditional department stores.
This mall opened in 1998, and contains 16 anchor tenants and 4 floors of retail space. A few years after opening, it was falsely reported that the mall was sinking into the swamp it was built on, causing concern that the mall would be closed. It was renovated in 2013. The JCPenney here closed a few weeks ago.
This bridge was originally built in the 1950's. It is being replaced with a larger, wider bridge running next to it. I thought it was cool being able to see the new bridge under construction while we were on the old bridge. Update: The new bridge opened in 2018, and the old one imploded January 2019.
This store was built as a Syms clothing store. After they acquired Filene's Basement, they combined this store to both brands. It closed with the chain in 2011, and bacame Sports Authority in 2013. That closed with the chain in July of last year.
New York had a number of these smaller rest stops, containing a couple vending machines and a restroom. I like the idea. Pennsylvania could use a few of these.
This is another former mushroom canopy location. I really don't get why they felt the need to box these out and ruin the design.
Don't let the c. 2011 exterior remodel trick you: the inside of this place hasn't been touched since it opened.
At first I thought this was a former Pizza Hut repurposed by Dunkin' Donuts. Now, looking at the roof, I'm not so sure. Certainly wasn't built as a Dunkin', that's for sure!
An interesting picture with a painful story to go along with it.
After I got this picture, I was a little slow in putting my camera away. We were about to hit traffic, and my lane was going a little faster than the lane next to us. As a result, I still had my camera out when we pulled up next to the truck you can see the tail end of in this picture. He must have thought I was taking a picture of him, because he gave me the dirtiest look I'd ever seen. Thankfully, we passed him quickly. Then we hit traffic and he was next to us again. I put my head down in hopes that he wouldn't see me. According to someone else in our car, he was still glaring at us. Thinking it would be too awkward to pick my head up again, I just stayed hunched over until he wasn't next to us again. Traffic stayed like that for another 20 minutes or so.
Lesson learned. Don't mess around in New England traffic.
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