Flickr Photos 43
This opened in 1905. During prohibition, the owners converted it to a barber shop that still functioned as a bar. They would have you pay for the haircut, which would come with a "free" drink. They got rid of the barber's chair once prohibition ended, and it has been operating as a bar since then.
Rite Aid opened here in the early 90's. It was remodeled in 2012 from the original post-rainbow decor to a short-lived version of the Wellness decor (which I'm going to call Wellness 1.5).
After researching this store for this post, I realized that this is the same distance from my dorm as the one I've been going to, and not in the ghetto. Looks like I'm making a switch. :P
The Post Office closed their facility on this site in the mid-2000's, and subsequently had the building demolished. The first f the new structures to go up was the parking garage, in 2009. It was followed by EVO (right), an apartment building targeted towards UPenn and Drexel students, in 2013, and the FMC Tower (left) in 2016.
Family Dollar opened this store in early 2016. The site was formerly home to some short-lived, most likely temporary, public housing. It was built sometime after 1995 and gone by 2002.
This is a weird part of Camden (I mean, the whole city's weird, but this is especially weird). There are many streets with absolutely nothing on them. It used to be all rowhomes, but the city has been demolishing the units as they go abandoned.
I don't think this store has been anything since Gilbert's closed, which appears to be quite a while ago. There used to be buildings like it on either side that were knocked down for being a hazard. The one on the right is being replaced with a somewhat small apartment building. I'm curious how/why Gilbert's was spared from the wrecking ball and what the future holds for it.
BP also took over this one from Amoco, and held onto it until sometime this year. It is now a Conoco. They really seem to be making a push into the area, lots of stations (mainly BP's) are rebranding. They haven't made it out to my area yet, but I have a feeling it won't be too long now.
Rant time: Not only did they put the store under the canopy (which I have made clear in the past that it bothers me), but they put LIGHTS on the canopy OVER the store. That's just a waste of energy.
BP picked this station up from Amoco. It was converted to Sunoco in late 2015. BP had another location nearby that lasted a little bit longer.
This was the site of a few abandoned rowhomes and a garage. A used car lot borders this property on 3 sides, so it's safe to assume they are taking this over for more space.
Bottom Dollar opened this store in early 2013. It had about a two year run before being turned into Aldi.
This garage was built in the mid-20's when ACME (then called American Stores) purchased a closed brewery across the street to turn into a new distribution center (you can see a little of that on the right). I can't find anything on when ACME closed, but I'm guessing it was when they opened the West Philly distribution center in the 50's. The garage looked like it was still being used a little more recently than that, but was probably still abandoned for upwards of 20 years before they knocked it down in 2016. The old distribution center is now apartments, and I'm guessing that will be what they build on the garage site, too.
This was built in the early 1900's as part of the Poth Brewery complex. After Poth closed in 1936, this changed hands a few times before becoming part of Red Bell, a new brewery, in 1996. Unfortunately, that didn't last long. Red Bell shut down in 2002. The main Poth building sat abandoned until it was sold last year (I can't find what they're turning it into, but I would guess apartments). This became Advance Trans, which I believe was a trucking company. That closed in early 2016. If I were to guess, this building will be razed before too long. It is one of two structures left on an otherwise vacant block, which is surrounded by new apartment complexes. Update: A shipping company has opened here.
This building was built in the 20's, and originally operated as an electric components factory. That closed in the 80's or 90's, and left the building abandoned. In late 2016, work began converting this building into luxury apartments. They seem much nicer than I would have thought possible, considering how ugly the building was before. Brewerytown was a very rough neighborhood up until just a few years ago. It's still not the safest, but it is gentrifying quickly.
I love finding these old 30's Pure Oil stations. It's amazing how many have survived this long still intact. they're cute buildings, too.
Getty closed this station in the mid-00's. Afterwards, it was used as an auto body shop for a couple years, before Sunoco took over in 2013. Sunoco completely redid the building and built an entirely new canopy, but retained the old Getty roof. It's a good look, I like it.
Another house that would have been considered luxury fifty years ago. Despite its current condition, it has only been empty a little over a decade. I'm surprised the inspections department hasn't condemned this yet.
This used to be a very nice neighborhood, but unfortunately fell on hard times over the last couple decades. Up until recently, there were four units left on this block, three of which were abandoned. The one on the end was fixed up into a VFW post, and the two in the middle were demolished. As a result, the two remaining units look like one that's been pulled apart.
This is the older of the two Bala locations, which dates back to the late 60's. It also has no been remodeled yet, and will most likely be moving to a new development down the road sometime next year. Even though the signs are backlit, they still felt the need to install some fluorescent spotlights below them. I don't know what purpose that serves.
CVS opened here in either late 2014 or early 2015, and was given a slightly modified design in an effort to make the road look a little fancier.
Wawa opened this in the 70's, the first time they tried to get involved with selling gas. It was built onto an existing Sunoco station, which has since closed. This store has not been remodeled yet. Since they have the Sunoco property in addition to this, they could potentially build a new store with a fuel station on the site.
At the time I got this photo, Target had already announced that they would be taking this space over, but had not started work yet.
Gino's opened here in the early 70's. It most likely served as a few other fast food places before Dunkin Donuts moved in.
Wawa opened here in the late 60's or early 70's, and moved across the street in 2008.
Side note: the replacement Wawa is right next to a CVS built at the same time. It seems like the two are paired together often. I've also seen it in West Chester, Phoenixville, Blue Bell, and a few other places. I wonder if the two companies have some kind of deal worked out.
After the space was vacated, the facade was redone to attract a new tenant. Roxborough Laundromat moved in in 2011, but left Roxborough off of their sign.
Judging by the facade, I believe this opened in the 40's or 50's. It appears to have lasted up until the very end, and is now split between a dollar store and a daycare.
This red facade with the chrome trim may be the most recognizable storefront in retail history.
This bank was built in the early 1900's as a local, independent bank. It was swallowed up by a series of mergers over the years, finishing life as a Wachovia. Wells Fargo DID buy this bank, but chose not to rename it, as they were building a new branch just down the road at the same time (possibly planned by Wachovia, but opened by WF). As a result, this may have been the last Wachovia in operation.
This is one of two Roxborough ACME's. It opened in the 70's, and was given a major remodel in the mid-90's to the Chalkboard Market decor. This remodel built out onto the store's front walkway, and turned the store's layout 90 degrees to the left. It was then remodeled again around 2010. It is one of their highest volume stores; I'm sorta surprised they haven't invested more in the facade over the years.I would hate to see the classic look go, but their current facade would fit nicely here.
Awkward situation here... I forgot where this place was (although I'm sure it's in Philadelphia, somewhere near the Schuylkill River). I couldn't track it down on Maps, and don't see any signage on the building. If nothing else, let this picture just be eye candy.
Update: Looks like this was being used as an apartment building until 2011, and was in the process of being converted to a rehab facility when I got this picture.
Some dilapidated rowhomes. Most of these are abandoned and being knocked down.The third and fourth ones from the right have been taken down since I got this picture. I believe this block is going to be redeveloped into higher-density townhomes.
Pleased to report that this building appears to be in the process of being restored. It now has windows once again, and new stainless steel covers to protect the lower floor.
This building has an inhabited twin on the other end of the block.
This house burned down sometime in 2016. As of this Fall, nothing has happened with it. I'm surprised the housing authority hasn't bulldozed this yet.
This location opened in the 70's. Apparently, in 2015, this store was the highest-performing in the country.
Family Dollar opened here around 2013. The space was previously occupied by E-Z Bargain Center, although I doubt they were the original tenants. Update: apparently Rite Aid operated a store here in the 90's.
This store operated for a while as a Valu-Plus variety store, which was a local chain that went out of business a few years ago. A bunch of their locations were picked up by Rainbow, particularly in West Philadelphia.
Checkers opened here in the mid-2000's. The site was previously home to some sort of auto center or gas station. Checkers reused their parking lot lights and roadside sign frame.
I drove by this lumber yard that looked straight out of the 30's. It was still in business when I got these pictures, but was in the process of winding down operations. The building was demolished earlier this year, and is being replaced with what appears to be an Aldi.
Riggins, the last company to use this property, closed down in 2011. This is a piece of prime real estate here, I have no clue how it has been vacant for so long. The only other building on this triangle of land is a closed Nova Bank, so the two properties could be combined pretty easily.
The new store is nearly complete! It opened not long after I got this picture.
Off to the side of the Whole Foods was a small area to sit and eat. Some of the original stone facade remains on the left. CVS left this end portion vacant. It's small enough I don't know what could move in.
One of my favorite things about these old 50's/60's Firestones are the neon logos. Unfortunately, somebody up the corporate ladder disagrees with me. Last year, they updated the logos on most Firestones near me, including this one. The new logo isn't all that different, so I don't see why they needed to change.
McDonald's built this location in the mid-90's, on the site of a former Gino's/Roy Rogers
So far, there are no signs that this will be rebuilt or remodeled. I imagine this look was easier to fit in with local code than the new one. Update: Remodeling early 2019
Sunoco recently remodeled this station, giving it the new interior they usually only give to new builds. I'm not sure what this station started out as, but it's got an unusual shape for a Sunoco, almost like a Sheetz.
Peace A Pizza used to be a local chain. Most of their locations were closed and reopened as Snap Pizza in 2016.
Sunoco opened here in the 70's, and closed sometime before the backlit rainbow facade made its debut. It became a Citgo that closed around 2010. Since then, it has been a repair shop.
Unfortunately, the mall's redevelopment includes getting rid of the historic Malvern Federal Bank building. This was first built in 1771 as a log cabin, and expanded in 1810. It was expanded to its current size between 1829 and 1848. It has been used commercially for over a hundred years now. It became the headquarters for a quarry where the Mall is now in 1905. It changed hands a few times before Malvern Federal opened a bank here in 1964 (tastefully adding the 2-story porch). The bank did some work on the property in 2002, redoing the parking lot and adding drive-thru lanes. You can get a full history in its 1984 historic landmark application.
This building was the only property along this corner of the intersection that PREIT does not own. Rumor has been going around that they have been interested in the property for a while. This month, it was announced that Malvern would sell the property to PREIT, who would then demolish the structure and build a new bank in its place (the name of the bank hasn't been disclosed yet). The parts of the Exton Mall parking lot around it will also be ripped up and replaced with a few other new stores. As for the remaining part of the old Kmart site, a six-story apartment complex will be built there.
On the 11th, demolition plans were presented to the historical commission, in an attempt to overturn the building's Class 2 historic designation. The verdict hasn't been released yet. I've heard that the commission was strongly against the demolition, but that the outlook also looked bleak for this place.
Sorry you're stuck with a nighttime shot, I could have sworn I already had a picture of this place up, but I didn't. I got this picture last week. Update: Thankfully plans have changed. Malvern Federal closed in mid-2018, and as of 2019 plans are being made to demolish/rebuild the 2000's additions but preserve the original building. The new bank will be Chase, which only recently entered PA.
Future produce department. This store is a lot bigger than I was expecting- it's about triple the size of the Whole Foods I'm used to shopping at.
Sunoco has two stations at this intersection: this one, a former Arco, and a former Exxon across the street. I'm not sure how they avoid competition with each other.
Wawa was in the process of remodeling when I drove by. Surprisingly, they kept the arched window in front. They usually pull that out of the newer stores.
This was built as a private residence in 1780. In the early 1900's, it turned into an upscale restaurant called the Covered Wagon Inn (they added on most of the newer parts of the building). It closed, and was split between John Harvard's Brew House and an antiques store (In the 90's, I believe). Harvard's closed in 2009, and became The Paddock, another restaurant. In 2012, the antiques store was replaced by Thos. Moser Furniture, and The Paddock was split between a Landmark Bar and a sushi restaurant. None of those lasted very long, since CVS bought the property in early 2016. Their initial plans were to demolish everything and build a new store here, which was met with a lot of backlash from the community. Those plans were still standing when I got these pictures, but were later redrawn to preserve the original structure.
Between the angle of the sun, the double-paned glass, and the dirty windows, this was the best picture I was able to get of the inside. You could actually see my face in the top of the picture, so I cropped that out.
This was an older part of the Landmark Bar, which was probably built in the 30's or 40's.
WSFS had just bought Penn Liberty when I got this picture. They have since painted the roof green to match their logo (Penn Liberty's was blue, so it makes sense).
Okay, so maybe this isn't the most Christmas-y photo I have, but it's the only one I wouldn't have to load off my phone. This was at the Westtown Giant shortly before its last Christmas in the old building. The deli was still going in full swing, despite being only about two weeks away from closing.
If that singular strand of garland and bells doesn't say Merry Christmas, I don't know what does!
Bakery was on the left of the store, next to the pharmacy.
I saw this newspaper lying on an empty table, so I decided to flip through and see if any high school Spanish Class would pay off. I found a Walmart ad. The Walmarts here are built differently than most other places, with pitched/arched roofs and a much more square shape, probably to better withstand earthquakes. They do use the exact same decor, though!
If you're trying to figure out the prices on this ad 7q=$1
Pollo Campero is a Guatemalan restaurant chain, although they do have a number of restaurants in the States. I looked it up, and apparently the closest ones to me are in North Jersey and Baltimore, each at least a 2 hour drive for me.
This one was the first I ate at. I got the chicken burrito. It was good.
This building most likely dates back to the early 1700's. It was neat seeing how Pollo Campero was able to adapt it to a modern fast food restaurant.
The logo here isn't near as old as the fountain, but it predates the logo on front of the building, which was also an old one.
From the pictures I can find online, it appears this one was remodeled, and unfortunately lost the fountain.
I'm pretty sure this isn't an actual Waffle House, just a knock-off. That being said, Guatemala does have a surprising number of US stores and restaurants. Correction: Looking into it more closely, this is definitely a knock-off.
This arch, which straddles one of the city's main roads, was built as part of another cathedral that was destroyed in the 1773 earthquake. Since the city was replaced (new Guatemala City is in a much less earthquake-prone area), the cathedral itself was never rebuilt. The arch and cloisters survived, and were restored. The arch is now owned by the city, while the cloisters are a hotel.
Guatemala's interesting when it comes to shopping malls. They all seem to be doing quite well down here. There are two major mall operators here: Pradera and Metroplaza. Their malls don't have actual names, and just use the company name.
I think this mall may have changed hands since I was here. Street View shows the Metroplaza signs all are down, but hadn't been replaced yet. They also added a McDonald's where the grass patch in the parking lot was.
This cathedral was first built in 1541, but was destroyed by an earthquake a little over a hundred years later. It was rebuilt as the largest cathedral in the Americas in 1680, and was destroyed again by another earthquake in 1773.The building was not a total loss, but the city's population has shrunk significantly (Antigua was the original Guatemala City; the current Guatemala City was supposed to replace this). They restored the 1680 building, but only the front half of it. They didn't need all the space anymore.
Obviously not an actual bird; that's just what they named it. You can see the resemblance, though.
I've always liked these. They seem so tropical, which really sounds nice in the 15-degree weather we're having right now.
Chester Springs was one of the locations that closed. They were in the process of outfitting the space for Visco Pizza when I got these pictures, but were not keeping up with the permits. Construction stopped for a few months while they got everything sorted out. Visco finally opened in late 2015.
I thought this area looked neat. I liked the square lakes.
I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but these were taken from the plane on the way home from Guatemala. We had a short layover in Miami.
This end of the mall has an Ikea in the parking lot, a Bass Pro Shops, and a new parking garage that was under construction when I got this picture.
The JCPenney and Sears are pictured here. The overgrown area on the right is a seasonal Halloween carnival, which was closed up for the Summer.
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