Port Richmond Project Part 7: West side of (Port) Richmond Avenue between the train overpass and Grove Avenue

It's been a long time since I put up any pictures of Port Richmond Avenue, so here's a batch. As most of the street is still today, it's mostly commercial with apartments on top. Most of the buildings in the photos from the thirties are still there today, but they've been marred with ugly facades, tattered signage, and a general grubbiness. The latter I attribute to a combination of municipal and community neglect. That it's such a bustling avenue, you'd think that would be enough to encourage both the city and property owners to do a better job of taking care of it. Right.

So, let's get started. Oh, by the way, I've updated the previous post from West New Brighton and included the maps.

This building, now gone, was still there in the late 1980s (see below)

So, funny thing. There's no photo of the Palace Theater among the regular batch. If I can find one later (lots of the pictures were damaged, retaken, then allocated to catchall files. Usually, finding them means lucky) I'll put it up.

I spent a lot of time with my mom in the Port Richmond Woolworth when I was little. I don't remember what she bought there, but I know I got several model planes from there. I was surprised to see how close to the Terrace the store was. My memory had it further south, closer to, or even past, Castleton Avenue.

1917 map - Several of the buildings didn't exist this far back in time. It looks like the building on the corner of Grove (#123) was a single family house back then. 

Port Richmond Project Part 6: (Port) Richmond Avenue between Bennett and Vreeland Streets

Here's another block of stores on (Port) Richmond Avenue. Between roughly 1939 and today it's become more than a little tattered. In the past there were nice, big, uncluttered display windows and attractive, striped awnings. Attractive architectural details, liked the zig-zag line of bricks, weren't obscured by ugly signage. So, here you go.

As late as 2007, Oven Baked was still in business

postcard of same building from some years later

Port Richmond Project Part 4: (Port) Richmond Avenue between Ann and Bennett Streets

I hadn't planned to get many pictures from (Port) Richmond Avenue. My reluctance was based primarily on the poor quality of many of those photos. I got such a surprising amount of interest in the first three Port Richmond posts, though, I figure I might as well give it a go. So here we go.

One of the things I've been struck by over the years I've done this site is how ubiquitous Roulston's grocery stores were. I have a picture of one on Van Duzer Street, and I know there was another on Henderson and Davis. I've seen others as well, I just can't remember where right now. For an interesting read about the heirs of the chain's founder, go HERE.

It's hard to read the signs, but the one on the right is for "Foot Savers," an old shoe brand, so I'm guessing Anson Dansky was a shoe store. It's also another example of the house/store combo shown the other day.

I have no idea what the building on the left was other than an apartment. Whatever store was on ground level is a mystery. If anyone knows, let us know.

Toy stores also seemed to have been common as dirt in the "old" days. One block of Broad Street had two, while there was another across the street and one more a block away. I'm curious how more will turn up on (Port) Richmond Avenue as we work our way along it.

Dairy, Ex-Lax (a whole store of it?), dresses, and more. The original storefronts got covered up only a few years ago.

The shape remains, but the skin is completely covered over. That's really not surprising for a building that's at least eighty years old.

I'd love to find a picture of the original Masonic Hall. Clearly it was pretty big, as the property was taken up by three buildings.