Philadelphia Retail with PlazaACME

Here we are, back for the second installment of my Spring 2017 Philly photos! Let's celebrate this Good Friday with some okay pictures  Chinese Benevolent Association Building, Philadelphia (Chinatown) This was built in 1896 according to the datestone. It would have always been a part of Chinatown, which began in the 1800's on this block. The neighborhood grew significantly in the early 1900's. I'm not quite sure what this organization is, but it certainly sounds like something that would have been around back when this was built.  Imperial Inn, Philadelphia (Chinatown) This was an iconic Dim Sum restaurant, which opened its doors in 1974, Sadly, it closed down in early 2019 when the owners retired. I have a really bad track record with restaurants closing down before I get to try them; and this one was pretty high up on my list of places to try. I didn't see the news article on them closing until the day after. :P The article I read said this will be repl...

Hello friends! Sorry about not posting at all last week, I had a really busy weekend. I had a ton of photos from this set so I'm splitting it up between two posts, the other will come tomorrow.  Paoli Station, Paoli, PA This station was originally built in 1893 and rebuilt in 1953 by the Pennsylvania Railroad. The staircase and upper wooden awning were the only surviving part of the 1893 station. After PRR dissolved, Amtrak took most major stations (including this one). SEPTA took the other stations in the region. After years of planning, Amtrak began a massive 3-phase rebuilding project in early 2017. Everything seen here was torn down a few months after this so the tracks could be moved over to make room for a new idle platform.  Fritz Lumber, Berwyn, PA The old Fritz Lumber Yard, which closed in 2016 after almost 160 years in business, is still sitting vacant for now. Demolition began in 2017, but came to a halt before they did too much. The new property owner's pla...

ACME, Chester Springs, PA At this point, the remodel is nearing completion. The vestibule didn't see much change aside from the new signage. I guess they figured the old paneling fit well with the new décor.  One of the more surprising changes was that they took out the first aisle to expand the produce department. Given the amount of work they did on this store, I'm surprised they not only kept the original flooring, but continued the pattern into the new space (you can see the old tile on the right is a little dirtier than the new stuff). Most stores to get this décor get faux wood flooring in Produce, even in remodels not as extensive as this one.  Former Citizens Bank is turning into the new beer café. It looks like they're nearing completion here.  Customer Service was moved from this corner of the store to the area next to checkout. Floral was then moved from the middle of the store over to this spot.  It looks like the new floral department is u...