Philadelphia Retail with PlazaACME

Howdy and happy MLK Day! I'm taking advantage of the day off to catch up on some phone pictures that haven't made it to the blog yet (or maybe a factor of that and not wanting to finish that Mexico post). In the past few regular posts I forgot to put in the pictures off my phone, they were just from my camera.  Schuylkill Canal, Phoenixville, PA Alongside the Schuylkill River, there used to be a canal to move freight spanning from Philadelphia to Pottsville which operated from 1825 until it was rendered obsolete by the Reading Railroad in 1931. The majority of it was filled in during the following decades as the river was cleared of silt; other sections dried up due to lack of maintenance. There are about 3.5 of the original 60 miles still filled; this section and the Manayunk portion in Philly.  The concrete walls and railings are remnants of the lock that used to be here. Of the former locks, this is the most intact. It is still maintained so the canal can be used fo...

First of all, apologies for not posting at all in like the last 2 months... I've been busy and the next regular post is incredibly long and I am struggling to get over the mental hurdle of starting to write it. HOWEVER, class this morning was cancelled and I took the opportunity to check out the grand opening of Wawa's newest store. It is the first to open this year (or should I say decade ), and is a new concept they're testing the waters with. It's only 3,000 square feet (compared to their largest store at 11,000) and focuses more on the convenience side than the deli. It features a pickup window and offers pre-made hoagies, although they do still have the standard ordering screens so you can get a custom one.  If you're thinking this doesn't look like a Wawa from the outside, that's because it actually began life in the 1950's as Quaker City Federal Savings. (1950's photo credit MM Partners ) (Photo credit Philadelphia Inquirer ) (P...

It's that time of the year again- time for me to drag you through some creepy abandoned place from the safety of your computer. This year, we're going to Lochiel Farm in Exton, PA. There are three buildings on the property, which originally was (as you could tell by the name) a farm. In the mid-1900's, it was acquired by the Church Farm School, who used the buildings for student housing up until 2003. The buildings then sat abandoned for several years up until the property was acquired by a developer. Work is beginning as we speak; so far nothing has happened to the houses but the woods around the property are being cut. Two of the houses we'll be seeing will be restored as part of the development, although the other is set to be demolished. This first set of photos were taken in late 2017; the second were from a couple weeks ago. Starting out with the smallest house, referred to as the "tenant house" on the property's legal documents. We explored th...