Then and Now: 9-15 East Athens Avenue, Ardmore

August 2008-May 2010

In the fight against brick, stucco wins a small victory at Ardmore's Walton Apartments. Not much seems to be known about this humble apartment block, built in the early 1920s. Apparently, those in charge of the building's rehab have decided to replace only the top portion of the brick exterior, while leaving the rest intact (hopefully I'm not mistaken!).

Source: Lower Merion Atlases
Original photo: "9-15 E Athens Ave." Lower Merion/Narberth Buildings. Lowermerionhistory.org. Lower Merion Historical Society. 9 May 2010. http://lowermerionhistory.org/buildings/image-building-list.php?photo_id=6885.

Then and Now: 8-16 West Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore

c. 1910-2010

The Palace Theater seems to be Ardmore's oldest 20th-century theater, first built between 1913-1919, and later remodeled in Art Deco style. At one point, it also housed the town's Woolworth's store. Next door, 12 West Lancaster Avenue certainly takes the cake for Ardmore's most hideously altered building façade, an example of low-brow postmodernist design at its very worst.

Source: Searchable HR Database. Lower Merion Township. 20 Feb. 2010. http://www.lowermerion.org/Index.aspx?page=437
Original photo: "Palace Movie Theatre, Ardmore (c. 1910)." Lower Merion Historical Society Archives. Lowermerionhistory.org. Lower Merion Historical Society. 20 Feb. 2010. http://www.lowermerionhistory.org/photodb/web/html3/114-3.html

Then and Now: The Ardmore Theater, Ardmore

1993-2010

The Ardmore Theater, one of the Main Line's grandest historic cinemas, opened in 1926 on W. Lancaster Avenue. With over 1200 seats, the single-screen theater reigned as Ardmore's largest for over seven decades, and in 2000 also became its last one to close. In a surprisingly fast turnover, the Beaux-Arts style building was almost immediately purchased by Town Sports International, which then gutted the interior and reopened the building in 2002 as a Philadelphia Sports Club.

Though its original interiors have been removed, the facade remains quite well preserved, including its glazed transom windows. PSC can also take some credit for restoring the large fanlight over the marquee. Unfortunately, of the four retail spaces which once flanked the main entrance, two have been completely removed, and those on the opposite side have sat dark and vacant for nearly a decade.

Source: Quirk, George. "Ardmore Theater." Cinema Treasures. 13 Feb. 2010. http://cinematreasures.org/theater/2596/
Original photo: Leatherberry, Earl. "Pennsylvania, Ardmore, Eric (The Ardmore Theater) (14,006)" Online photo. Flickr. 30 Apr. 2009. 13 Feb. 2010. http://www.flickr.com/photos/23711298@N07/3488821339/

After the snow: Hannum Drive, Ardmore

February 5, 2010 - February 6, 2010

This montage is not exactly of historical interest, but it gives a pretty good idea of the magnitude of the massive snowstorm that slammed the Mid-Atlantic this weekend. Philadelphia officially recorded 28.5 inches of snow, with Ardmore probably a few inches behind, making this one of the greatest snowfalls in the area's recorded history.

Then and Now: Southwest corner of Montgomery and Anderson Avenues, Ardmore

1940 - 2009

The corner of Montgomery and Anderson Avenues was once the estate of one of Lower Merion Township's most prominent residents, Dr. George S. Gerhard, founder of Bryn Mawr Hospital. Built in the 1880s, the house was converted in the early 1920s into a residence hall for the newly consolidated Main Line YMCA, whose main building was then on Lancaster Avenue. Likely due to budget issues resulting from this arrangement, the Gerhard house was demolished and sold in early 1941. The YMCA reopened in 1956 in a new main facility across Montgomery Avenue, still used today. The former Gerhard estate has spent the last half-century as a parking lot for Suburban Square customers, sometimes referred to as "the Ruby's lot."

In 2008, the shopping center's owner, Kimco Realty, proposed replacing the lot with a mixed-use condominium complex. That suggestion was ultimately withdrawn following what seemed to be widespread opposition among nearby residents. Aside from standard concerns about height, scale, and traffic, one of their principle arguments was that development of the lot would jeopardize the planned Ardmore Transit Center. Anyhow, it's safe to say that the parking lot is here to stay for a while.

Sources:
1. Allison, Cheryl. "Abruptly, Ruby's lot plans withdrawn." Main Line Times 11 Dec. 2008.
2. "Lower Merion Atlases." Lower Merion Historical Society. 20 Dec. 2009. http://lowermerionhistory.org/atlas.html.
3. Schmidt, David. "The Main Line's YMCA has filled community needs for 95 years." Lower Merion Historical Society. 20 Dec. 2009. http://www.lowermerionhistory.org/texts/schmidtd/ymca_for_95_years.html.
4. "The first 300: The amazing and rich history of Lower Merion (part 24)." Lower Merion Historical Society. 20 Dec. 2009. http://www.lowermerionhistory.org/texts/first300/part24.html.
Original photo: "2 W. Montgomery Ave." Lower Merion/Narberth Buildings. Lowermerionhistory.org. Lower Merion Historical Society. 20 Dec. 2009. http://lowermerionhistory.org/buildings/image-building-list.php?photo_id=7420.

Then and Now: West Lancaster Avenue viewed from Wyoming Avenue, Ardmore

early 1950s-2009

The original photo shows the north side of Lancaster Avenue viewed from Ardmore's western border in its early days as a suburban strip, almost completely unrecognizable today.

Though not usually considered as such, early 20th century suburban developers were pioneers in adaptive reuse. With a few interior modifications, the the ample setbacks and lawns of former suburban residences were easily paved over to accomodate automobile-oriented commercial uses. Two such houses can be seen in the original view, converted into Tydol and Gulf Oil service stations.

Automobile-related businesses dominated western Lancaster Avenue from the very beginning of the 20th century. The Autocar Company set up shop in 1900 and remained Ardmore's largest employer through the early 1950s. Its factory buildings, destroyed by fire in 1956, are visible in the original photo. Though the Ardmore West strip mall replaced most of the Autocar site, the south side of the avenue remains crowded with car dealerships. Fascinatingly, the especially resilient Sunoco gas station at the corner of Lancaster and Woodside Avenues has been operating there since as early as 1926.

Sources:
1. "The First 300: The Amazing and Rich History of Lower Merion." Lowermerionhistory.org. 21 Nov. 2009. http://lowermerionhistory.org/texts/first300/index.html
2. Bromley, George W. and Walter S. Bromley. Atlas of Properties on Main Line Pennsylvania Railroad from Overbrook to Paoli. Atlas. Philadelphia: G.W. Bromley & Co, 1926.
Original image: "W Lancaster Avenue." 2008. Lower Merion/Narberth Buildings. Lowermerionhistory.org. Lower Merion Historical Society. 15 Nov. 2009. http://lowermerionhistory.org/buildings/image-building-list.php?building_id=407

Then and Now: Southwest corner of Lancaster and Cricket Avenues, Ardmore

c. 1920s - 2009

Built sometime between 1913 and 1920, the nameless 3-story building at the corner of Cricket and Lancaster Avenues has long been one of Ardmore's most distinct buildings. It's a wonderfully detailed specimen of Renaissance Revival design, and given the high quality of craftsmanship evident in its construction, was almost certainly built for relatively wealthy inhabitants. Though merely an apartment building in function, it easily found itself among the town's most postcard-worthy sites during the 1920s.

What's particularly striking about the building's design is how resolutely urban it is. Though most buildings on Lancaster Avenue were built with upper-story apartment space, none of them are nearly as eager in their outward expression of a specific vision of residential life. Here, the abundant bay windows and balconies are strongly suggestive of density and old-school urbanity, out of step with dominant ideals about peaceful, reserved suburban living. It seems to reveal an original developer who had grander ambitions for Ardmore's future, at a time when growth had no foreseeable end.

Today, the building is one of historic Ardmore's greatest assets. Thankfully, despite modifications to its Lancaster Avenue storefronts, the original detailing of its upper stories remains remarkably intact. Unfortunately, two of its ground-floor retail spaces continue to underperform at the hands of a nail salon and spacious ATM cubicle. Needless to say, it really deserves better.

Source: Atlas of Properties on Main Line Pennsylvania Railroad From Overbrook to Paoli. Atlas. Philadelphia: A.H. Mueller, 1920.
Original image: "7 E Lancaster Ave." 2008. Lower Merion/Narberth Buildings. Lowermerionhistory.org. Lower Merion Historical Society. 15 Nov. 2009.

Then and Now: 5 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore

Date unknown-2009

Oddly enough, the squat stucco building at the corner of Lancaster and Anderson Avenues is in fact one of downtown Ardmore's oldest commercial buildings. The Merion Title & Trust Company built its first Ardmore office in 1897 before relocating in 1917 to a new classical revival edifice built adjacent to its former home. The original structure at the heart of town also housed a variety of tenants over the years, including a Post Office, library, and Western Union station. In 1977, all but the bottom two floors of the building were tragically destroyed in a fire, and were subsequently remodeled in a coat of stucco. Would it still merit preservation at this point? Perhaps the question will come up someday, if the logic of suburban development once again turns its eye to Ardmore's main street.

Source: Lower Merion Township: Searchable HR Database. Lower Merion Township Historical Commission. 30 Sep. 2009.
Original photo: "Ardmore Post Office Building." Lower Merion Historical Society Archives. Lowermerionhistory.org. Lower Merion Historical Society. 28 Sep. 2009.
http://www.lowermerion.org/Index.aspx?page=437

Then and Now: 100-104 W. Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore

November 2008 - December 2008

(I realize that this entry, started way back in December, is somewhat overdue. But alas, better late than never.)

The squat, brutalist building at the corner of Lancaster and Ardmore Avenues sometimes referred to as the Smith Building (whose history I haven't yet been able to find) was unceremoniously demolished by Lower Merion Township sometime around early December. According to a Township news release from last year, the building is to be replaced by a reconfigured intersection with a widened Ardmore Avenue, and a small public seating area.

On one hand, the reasoning is perfectly understandable. The intersection is notorious for being incredibly cumbersome for drivers and pedestrians alike, due to the poor alignment between Ardmore Avenue and the driveway leading into the heavily used parking lot behind most of the north side of W. Lancaster Avenue, built long after the original intersection was. Furthermore, no one really liked the hopelessly outdated and very poorly maintained Smith Building, which probably never gave a good impression to visitors either. I don't know how far construction has progressed, but I'm guessing that work will be completed sometime this year.

The parking lot driveway is on the north side of Lancaster next to the McDonald's lot.

In the meantime, I've had some concerns floating in the back of my mind. For one, does Ardmore really need more roadway on Lancaster Avenue? The intersection, like the majority of the avenue, is already harrowing to pedestrians, and I doubt that making it part of it wider will make it any more comfortable. Furthermore, the plaza/seating area will be up against the blank side wall of the adjacent building (though this could be easily fixed with a mural).

Lastly, 30 is a bad age for any building or style of building, and the Smith Building, which I'm guessing was built in the 70s, is no exception. Buildings as ugly as this one are hard to come by on the Main Line! Yet, as inconceivable as it is to us, late 19th century Victorian architecture was in the 20s and 30s often considered to be just as hideous as brutalism is seen today. I'm also sure that the Smith Building would have looked significanly less awful had it been better maintained. Perhaps a later generation will lament its replacement by a widened road intersection, and see it as a crime against architectural preservation. Or perhaps they won't. Only time will tell.

Ardmore and Lancaster Avenues Realignment Project Moves Forward [Lower Merion Township]

Bird's eye view courtesy of Live Search Maps

Then and Now: 30-36 E. Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore

August 2007 - December 2008

Pictured here is 30-34 E. Lancaster Avenue before and after an ambitious first-floor facade renovation by the team behind J.R. Monaghan's Pub & Grille, which deserves enormous credit for filling the enormous black hole left behind by the dingy All Natural Market. The first-floor renovation was so successful that it's difficult today to imagine how abysmal the building looked less than a year ago without consulting a photograph. However, it would be unfair not to note that a good many facade renovations in Ardmore would not have happened without 50-50 matching grants provided by its Business Improvement District, the Ardmore Initiative, where I previously interned. The ability of BIDs, downtown development corporations, and other Main Street programs to leverage state and federal grant funds to encourage redevelopment can provide a crucial starting point for small town revitalization.

Original Image: "036-30 E Lancaster Ave." 2007. Lower Merion/Narberth Buildings. Lowermerionhistory.org. Lower Merion Historical Society. 15 Dec. 2008. http://lowermerionhistory.org/buildings/data/buildings/images/originals/LancasterSouthSideE036-30_4208.JPG

Then and Now: the Ardmore Trolley and Llanerch Railway Station, Ardmore

c. 1910-2008

Though Philadelphia's Main Line suburbs came to existence thanks largely to the efforts of the mighty Pennsylvania Railroad, it was not long before the city's rapidly growing streetcar and trolley network made its way into Delaware and Montgomery Counties. The Philadelphia and West Chester Traction Company (later known as the Philadelphia Suburban Transit Company) first brought surburban trolley service to Llanerch and south Ardmore in 1902. Service was extended to Lancaster Pike three years later with the opening of the Ardmore trolley terminal, a short walk from the Pennsylvania Railroad's Ardmore Station.

Unfortunately, trolley service between downtown Ardmore and West Philadelphia did not survive America's postwar public transportation crisis. The Philadelphia Surburban Transit Company ended service to Ardmore in 1966, and the trolley station and tracks were demolished and replaced by a pocket park and (of course) an adjoining parking lot. The pocket park has subsequently been renamed Schauffele Plaza, and underwent a facelift several years ago as part of Ardmore's streetscape improvement project. It the only public park and seating area downtown, and is a stop for several SEPTA bus routes. Three of the PSTC's more fortunate suburban trolley lines are still operated today by SEPTA - routes 101, 102, and the 100 high-speed line.

Source: "Montgomery County: The Second Hundred Years - 1983." Lowermerionhistory.org. 15 Dec. 2008. http://www.lowermerionhistory.org/texts/first200/transportation_6.html
Original Image: "Ardmore Trolley and Llanarch Railway Stations, Ardmore." c. 1910. Lower Merion Historical Society Archives. Lowermerionhistory.org. Lower Merion Historical Society. 10 Dec. 2008. http://www.lowermerionhistory.org/photodb/full/115-4.jpg

Then and Now: The Williamson Store, Ardmore

1911-2008

The Williamson Store originally stood at the southeast corner of Lancaster Avenue and Ardmore Avenue, and was completed sometime before 1908. The block housed four storefronts and was one of the first brick structures to be built on Lancaster Avenue, heralding a wave a commercial development that would quickly transform the then residential avenue into a fully built-out town center within two decades. Unfortunately, the stores and estates on downtown's edges were the hardest hit by the pressures of auto-centric development after WWII. Today, Lancaster Avenue any west of here quickly disintegrates into a world of surface parking, strip malls, and car dealerships. Not pictured behind Bryn Mawr Trust's prefab fortress is its always spacious parking lot (how much parking does a bank need anyways?)

Source: "Properties on the Main Line Pennsylvania Railroad from Overbrook to Paoli."Atlas. Philadelphia: A.H. Mueller, 1908.
Original Image: "Williamson Store, Ardmore." 1911. Lower Merion Historical Society Archives. Lowermerionhistory.org. Lower Merion Historical Society. 8 Nov. 2008.

Then and Now: 6-10 E. Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore

19xx-2008

The three-story Tudor revival building which once occupied 6-10 East Lancaster Avenue was completed in 1911 next to the Ardmore and Llanerch trolley terminal. The Randegg Block, as it was known, was demolished in 1946 and replaced several years later by the nondescript one-story building which stands there today. It's interesting to wonder why the property owner decided not to include residential units in the new building, and the comparison gives the uncanny impression of watching a shrinking town. The original photogragh seems like it was taken sometime before the 1930s, at a time when Lancaster Pike moved at a significantly slower pace. I can only imagine what the views from those bay windows must have been like.

Source: Lower Merion Township: Searchable HR Database. Lower Merion Township Historical Commission. 5 Dec. 2008. http://www.lowermerion.org/Index.aspx?page=437. Search: 6 E. Lancaster Ave.
Original Photo: "Lancaster Avenue Retail Stores, Ardmore." Lower Merion Historical Society Archives. Lowermerionhistory.org. Lower Merion Historical Society. 5 Dec. 2008.

Colonial Row. Ardmore, PA

c. 1940s - 2008

The row of 8 colonial revival buildings on the south side of West Lancaster Avenue (only 6 shown) was built between 1900 and 1908 on the former estate of a certain Dr. S.B.S. Smith and was once known as "Colonial Row." Unlike nearly every other part of downtown, this row of buildings in partilar has been especially resilient to rehabilitation, and continues to lack strong retail tenants. I have always been particularly irked by the fact that several businesses in this row choose to leave their Lancaster Avenue storefronts barren and uninviting, letting pedestrians looking through their windows see nothing but empty rooms. Sometimes they're kind of enough to put up crudely made signs that say "parking in back." How do they get by? Well, let's take a walk around the back.

The back side of "Colonial Row" happens to face the Cricket Avenue Parking Lot - Ardmore's largest. This was formerly the site of several residential streets, not unlike the one visible in the bottom left corner, which were demolished sometime before the 60s in the name of alleviating downtown Ardmore's major parking shortage. Over time, adjacent businesses have made the decision to accomodate their buildings to the new car-oriented suburban retail model, and made their old back doors their new main entrances, at the expense of their Lancaster Avenue storefronts. The end result is an odd and perverse strip mall running out of the backside of a row of century-old buildings, whose historic facades have been left to fall apart.

Colonial Row bears the heavy burden of having to serve the automobile, despite originally being built for the sidewalk and the pedestrian. It is no coincidence that this particular block has been the hole in the donut of Ardmore's revitalization. One gets the impression that Colonial Row will always have its back turned to Lancaster Avenue so long as auto-centric development remains the norm of our economy and our culture. More than any other stretch in Ardmore, Colonial Row bears the heavy scars of the failure of 20th century transportation planning.

Of course, there is hope yet. The long-term plan for the Ardmore Transit Center development includes a substantial residential building to replace the Cricket Lot, which will draw more pedestrian life to downtown and force businesses to face the street again. This, however, is unlikely to materialize within the next few years. Nonetheless, I remain hopeful that the next century will be friendlier to Colonial Row. The day it is fully restored to its original form, it will be a miraculous trophy piece and great source of pride for a downtown that has finally come back.

Ardmore Transit Center [Lower Merion Township]

Sources:
1. Property Atlas of the Main Line, Pennsylvania. Atlas. Philadelphia: Franklin Survey Company, 1961
2. Lower Merion Township: Searchable HR Database. Lower Merion Township Historical Commission. 25 Nov. 2008. http://www.lowermerion.org/Index.aspx?page=437. Search: 18 W Lancaster Ave.
Original Image: "Lancaster Avenue Commercial Block, Ardmore." Lower Merion Historical Society Archives. Lowermerionhistory.org. Lower Merion Historical Society. Nov. 23, 2008. http://www.lowermerionhistory.org/photodb/full/114-2.jpg
Bird's eye view courtesy of Live Search Maps

Then and Now: Northwest Corner of Lancaster and Station Avenues, Ardmore

1911-2008

"N. Harrison Store, Ardmore." 1911. Lower Merion Historical Society Archives. Lowermerionhistory.org. Lower Merion Historical Society. Nov. 23, 2008. http://www.lowermerionhistory.org/photodb/full/114-1.jpg.

A brief introduction: Ardmore, Pennsylvania

Downtown Ardmore lies roughly 8 miles from Center City Philadelphia, and is one of the region's more significant railroad suburbs developed in the late 19th century around the Pennsylvania Railroad's famed Main Line. Its main thoroughfare, Lancaster Avenue, dates back to 1794, when it opened as a rural highway linking Philadelphia to Lancaster. Within decades after the opening of the railroad, Lancaster Avenue in Ardmore had become a fully developed commercial corridor, and was more or less the center of commercial activity in Lower Merion Township. For over a century, the avenue has played the role of both a small town main street and a regional highway.

This of course has been one of downtown Ardmore's greatest woes since the beginning of the automobile age. Ever increasing traffic volumes coupled with mounting parking demands eventually took their toll on Ardmore's main street. In the second half of the 20th century, nearly all major commercial development in Lower Merion took place in new suburban malls and shopping centers, while downtown increasingly lost its customers to newer retail centers like Suburban Square and the Ardmore West strip mall. Despite many traffic-calming streetscape improvements from several years ago, the presence of fast-moving cars and freight traffic stlill makes sections of Lancaster Avenue nerve-wracking for the pedestrian. As a most unfortunate result, certain businesses have even turned their backs on the street and made their parking lot entrances their main ones.

Nonetheless, life goes on well enough, and the town still has much to offer. Its historic buildings are generally well-preserved, and many of them have been renovated one-by-one in recent years. Milkboy Coffee is one of the Main Line's most popular independent coffee houses and live performance venues, and Bella Italia makes one the best cheesesteaks to be found anywhere, no joke. For the past few years, I've had the pleasure of living fairly close to Ardmore. Sure, I don't plan on spending the rest of my life here, but there are few scenes as pleasant as strolling down Lancaster Avenue at the end of a warm summer day, hearing the rush hour express trains go by the station. To see the outdoor tables fill up at the corner of Cricket Avenue in the glow of the setting sun is nothing short of lovely.