Then and Now: Independent Order of Odd Fellows Hall, Northwest corner of Third and Brown Streets, Philadelphia

1961-2010

The few extremely loyal readers of this blog may remember a very early post of mine featuring this same exact corner, whose history I was unable to find at the time. It would not have been such a mystery at all had I simply known where to look. Thankfully, as it is for all occupations, with time comes experience, and it is with great pleasure that I now return to this corner of Northern Liberties.

The building that once stood at the northwest corner of 3rd and Brown Streets was completed in 1846 as an Independent Order of Odd Fellows Hall, designed in an Egyptian Revival style that was then enjoying a brief period of popularity. Though only four stories tall, the Odd Fellows Hall was certainly an imposing presence among its neighbors. Especially distinctive were the ten bays of its east and south elevations, composed of three-story vertical window bands embedded within large pilasters. This majestic emphasis on verticality is in some ways quite reminiscent of the much later style of Art Deco. The pilasters and roof cornice were apparently painted in a dark red color, and the remaining exterior walls were covered by tan-colored plaster.

Had the Odd Fellows Hall survived to this day, it would have been one of the only remaining examples of Egyptian Revival architecture in Philadelphia, and one of a handful left in the United States. Despite the rapid expansion of the Odd Fellows' organization in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the fraternal society held on to their Northern Liberties site as late as 1922. However, by the time of its Historic American Buildings Survey documentation in 1961, the building's ground floor had long been gutted and converted to warehouse space (for J. Friedman Fruit & Produce Packages), while its upper stories remained vacant. After 130 years of existence, the former Odd Fellows Hall was destroyed by fire in 1976.

A vertically aligned comparison may be found here.

Sources:
1. Bromley, George W. and Walter S Bromley. Atlas of the City of Philadelphia (Central). Philadelphia: G. W. Bromley & Co, 1922. http://philageohistory.org/geohistory/index.cfm.
2. Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Third & Brown Streets. Historic American Building Survey HABS No. PA-1771. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?hh:1:./temp/~ammem_touu::.
Original photo: Boucher, Jack B. "PA-1771-1: Exterior view from southeast, showing east (right) and south (left) elevations." 1961. Historic American Buildings Survey. American Memeory. The Library of Congress. 23 Mar. 2010. http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/pa/pa0800/pa0858/photos/138362pv.jpg.

Groundbreaking imminent at the Shops at Schmidts

Photo taken August 7, 2009

Get ready to say goodbye to Northern Liberties' largest vacant lot. Tower Investments intends to break ground next tuesday at 2nd and Girard on the first phase of the long-awaited Shops at Schmidts development. Half of the 100,000 square feet of retail space will be dedicated to a Pathmark supermarket, reputedly to be more upscale than its other stores. This development is key to filling in the gaps between Northern Liberties and Fishtown, while also aiding the resurgence of Girard Avenue itself.

Corner of 2nd and Girard. Rendering from Philebrity by way of Tower Investments

Some previous coverage, as well as more renderings, can be found in an earlier post.

Tower Investments erecting shopping center [Philadelphia Business Journal]

Then and Now: Southwest corner of 2nd and Laurel Streets, Philadelphia

1952-2009

After years of decay and abandonment, the southwest corner of 2nd and Laurel Streets, like many others in North Philadelphia, was reduced to a mere ghost of its former self. The corner building at 940 N. 2nd Street, once a produce market, now houses nothing more than a weed tree behind its sealed walls.

Thankfully, one has every reason to believe that better days are ahead. The 100 block of Laurel Street has been transformed thanks to phenomenal new developments by Onion Flats. Along 2nd Street, the corner is bookended by the Piazza at Schmidt's and Liberties Walk to the north and the thriving corner of 2nd and Poplar to the south.

Original photo: Mallis, Atheniasis T. "Public Works-41581-8." 1952. Philadelphia City Archives. PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 2 Nov. 2009.

Then and Now: Looking north on 2nd Street from Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia

1914-2009

Like many of Philadelphia's oldest neighborhoods, Northern Liberties had its own neighborhood market shed occupying the median of two blocks of N. 2nd Street between Fairmount Avenue and Poplar Street. The market stalls were demolished in the 1930s, coinciding with the general decline of neighborhood markets and the emergence of grocery stores and supermarkets. Headhouse Square in Society Hill is the last preserved example of Philadelphia's early street median markets, whose vestiges can also be found on Bainbridge Street and South 11th Street.

The N. 2nd St. market house's interior

2nd Street is still Northern Liberties' main commercial strip, though the stretch where the market once stood doesn't quite match the vitality of parts of the street above and below it. At the moment, it's an odd mix of row homes and shops sprinkled with plenty of abandoned lots and light industrial buildings. The Northern Liberties Neighbors Association has identified the development of a more cohesive and vibrant 2nd Street as a major long-term goal and has studied several reconfigurations of the street in its 2005 Neighborhood Plan, as it seems to have a lot of potential that not currently being lived up to. I imagine that at some point they will begin to put more concrete plans into motion.

My own impulsive and not very developed vision would be for park space occupying the exact spot where the old market shed once stood, like a much smaller Boulevard Jules-Ferry in Paris, pictured above. 2nd Street is definitely wide enough here to support a small median park, it's really a question of political will and evaluating the exact economic benefits any such project would bring.

Northern Liberties Neighborhood Plan [Northern Liberties Neighbors Association]

Market Interior photo: "Public Works-9534-0." 1914. Philadelphia City Archives. PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 2 Sep. 2009. http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/MediaStream.ashx?mediaId=10893.
Original photo: "Public Works-9539-0." 1914. Philadelphia City Archives. PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 2 Sep. 2009. http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/MediaStream.ashx?mediaId=16427.

Hancock Square, Northern Liberties, Philadelphia

Of the many projects born from Philadelphia's recent boom in high-end residential construction, Hancock Square in Northern Liberties is easily my favorite. The development, led by Tower Investments and designed by Erdy-McHenry Architects, replaces one of several large empty lots left over from the demolition of the Schmidt's brewery. The first phase, a 6-story building along North 2nd Street was completed a few years ago. Phase two, to be completed in the coming months, includes two 7-story residential buildings on the other side of the block along Hancock Street and Germantown Avenue, a 7-story office tower, and a public plaza in between.

The first building itself (pictured at top) is already easily the most iconic of any structure built in Northern Liberties in the last few decades. Steeped in Modernist chic, its colored wall panels and Mondrian-esque windows are clearly reminiscent of Le Corbusier's landmark Unite d'Habitation. Nonetheless, it does so while avoiding the great pitfalls of Modernist urban design. Each of the buildings meets the sidewalk with ample ground-floor retail space, and the courtyard plaza will be clearly visible and accessible from the street when completed.

Furthermore, the ovular glass office tower promises to be just as iconic as its neighbors, and also ceritfy Hancock Square a true mixed-use development. Last but not least, the complex as a whole builds out at a perfectly "Parisian" density, which provides a welcome medium between the rowhomes and skyscrapers that for the most part characterize Philadelphia.

(Construction photos were taken in late-december)

Photo credit, top photo: Timothy Hursley for Architectural Record feature. http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/bts/archives/multifamhousing/08_NoLiHousing/slide_1.asp

Then and Now: Northwest Corner of 3rd and Brown, Philadelphia

1959-2008

I haven't been able to identify the original building but it's loss was surely a sad one for Northern Liberties. I have high expectations for the ultra-hip condo building that will probably go up here in the near future.

Original Photo: Cuneo. "Department of Public Property-37487-0." 1959. Philadelphia City Archives. PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. Nov. 16, 2008. http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/MediaStream.ashx?mediaId=140889