Journey to the Land of the Coat Factory- Part 2!
Welcome back! Today we're going to see most of the rest of my photos from Burlington. There was one sorta special place I photographed more thoroughly and decided to make a separate post for, which will be up after this.
This Howard Johnson's first opened its doors in 1959, and was still in operation at least until 1987. After that, it operated as an independent restaurant for a little while, but was closed by the early 2000's. It's been vacant ever since. Because the outside was so perfectly intact, I was hoping the inside would still have some HJ left as well. Unfortunately, it was gutted out at some point, probably when there was still some hope of salvaging and getting a new tenant in the building. Some small plants are growing out of the cracks in the floor inside, meaning it's leaking pretty bad. I'm not sure what that red square by the door means, but I've noticed quite a few abandoned buildings around Burlington had them. I'm wondering if it's a warning for firemen or something. Jersey people- please explain.
This closed as a Sunoco probably back in the 70's. Interestingly, the old store entrance was bricked in, the peak removed, and a new office built onto the side. It operated as a Cottman Transmission for a while, but closed in 2015. Another thing I found strange was that this location updated the logo right before they shut down.
This location originally opened in the mid-90's. In 2016, it was extensively renovated to its current look. I'm sorta surprised they didn't just do a total rebuild (not that I'm complaining!).
This Ponderosa most likely opened in the 80's. It's been closed for at least a decade, probably as a result of being located off the main road in town. It was most recently being used as County social services offices, but it would seem they have since relocated out of here.
This store opened in the early 90's. I don't believe it's ever been remodeled. Surprisingly when Rite Aid bought Eckerd, they chose to keep this over Eckerd's slightly newer and vastly nicer-looking store down the road.
This is another shopping center I'd be curious to learn more about the history of. I'd assume the building in back was originally some kind of independent grocer, maybe a Thriftway franchise. It was later split up between a laundromat and Family Dollar, which closed around 2010. That space has since become home to Pete's Bargain Outlet.
BofA most likely opened here in the early 90's. It closed and was quickly turned into a Dunkin' Donuts, which opened in 2013.
CVS opened this location in the mid-90's. I'd say it was pretty successful since it had its façade rebuilt not even a decade after it opened. In 2008, they moved to a freestanding location in Willingboro. Dollar General opened in the space in 2010.
This place has been closed since 2004. Judging by the area surrounding it, I think it'll be a while longer before something happens to it. I'm not really sure what kind of store this would have been originally, but I want to say a small hardware store. It was probably owned by whoever lived in the house off to the left.
Property records say this place was built in 1974. It was last sold in 2008, which more or less matches up with when Streetview shows this being boarded up. It sits adjacent to the property in the last photo, so I'm curious if they're owned by the same people.
Wawa originally had an 80's store on the site here, which they knocked down and replaced with this in the mid-2000's. It was remodeled in early 2018 to the current prototype.
This station's been here since the 70's or 80's. They rebranded to Gastrol after this picture was taken, which I'm assuming is something independent.
This was built as a 7-Eleven in the 70's, which closed down in 2014. It became an independent Quick Mart (I feel like this is definitely Simpsons-inspired) shortly afterward.
This is another place I've got no clue about the history of. The building itself was torn down in the mid-90's. It's just a heavily-overgrown concrete foundation with an awesome sign now.
This opened as a Citgo in the 80's or 90's, and was remodeled when this look first came out. In 2017, they switched brands to Amera, which is a small-ish local chain.
This Arco station is now operating as a used car lot. I'm assuming they haven't been selling gas for decades at this point.
This diner opened in 1986. The façade was totally rebuilt in 2018. It looks much more modern but incredibly tacky on the outside now.
For whatever reason, when I-95 was built, it wasn't connected to the PA Turnpike. It took them about 50 years to come to their senses, the ramps connecting the two highways were finally built in 2017.
Ransome CAT Sign, Bristol, PA
I've always liked this big neon tractor. It's become a turnpike landmark. If I remember correctly, the neon flashes at night to make it look like the tread is rolling.
And since we're still doing stuff in Jersey, I feel like some Bruce Springsteen would be appropriate.
Comments
Post a Comment