Siemon & Sons Barrels

"H. Siemon & Sons
Manufacturers of Barrels"



Difficult to shoot due to proximity of the elevated.
Note side brick painted sign.
"BARRELS" barely visible.




This photograph above, circa 1940, shows the signs in much better condition, and quite legible. We can now see that the smaller sign above read "H. Siemon & Sons New Barrels"



UPDATE: Kevin (of bahdeebahdu) writes in to tell me about some exciting plans for this building:

hey lawrence, thought you might be interested in this... i'm working with a client who recently purchased the siemon & sons building. he recently removed some stucco and revealed more signage on the front, just below the El tracks. something to check out maybe.


also, i'm working with him to create faux ghost signage for his business name on the side of the building. we plan on keeping the old look of siemon's and mixing in some modern brushed aluminum letters too. i'm really excited for all of it to come together...


thanks for the inspiration!

The event space (called Front and Palmer) has a blog with some photos of the additional signage they have uncovered, like below:



Front and Palmer Streets [map]

Grand Theatre - TALKIES

"Grand Theatre - TALKIES - Matinee Daily"
Sign over Snyder Avenue entrance.
At some point, probably as the term grew out of fashion, "TALKIES" was painted over in black, to hide it in the (then) black background of the sign.



Additional signage on 7th, with some painted/boarded over.


Closeup of painted brick sign, facing east, on 7th.


"Grand Theatre - Direction"
Sign over 7th Street entrance.
Note GRAND painted over THEATRE.

The Grand was originally the Synder Avenue Baptist Church. As the neighborhood changed before WWI it became a hall and eventually was converted into a moviehouse in 1911. Silent films were joined by vaudeville. Another renovation, by architect W.H. Lee, took place in the 1930s. The Grand had 850 seats and one screen, and was able to charge more than other local theaters because it had air conditioning. A retail store took over by the late 50's. Recent tenants removed the white aluminum siding that had covered the structure for decades to reveal most original painted signage still intact.


In this photo dated 1959, you can see the aluminum siding of John's Bargain Store (upper left) covering the theater facade:


More photos here. More information on this theater here.

7th and Snyder Avenue.
Thanks to everyone who sent this in, and to Anthony DiFlorio for allowing me to post some of his photos!

American Ice Company

"American Ice Company ICE and COAL"

Captured just in time. 


Dating back at least 100 years (listed on 1875 atlases as the Knickerbocker Ice Co.), the icehouse was one of three in the Italian Market area alone, and stood as a reminder of the pre-refrigeration and pre-electricity era. The iceman would haul large blocks of ice on a horse-drawn carriage (and later in a truck) to businesses and homes, chiseling off pieces to fit in the icebox. The American Ice and Coal Company also supplied many of Philadelphia's once-numerous local breweries. Similarly, coal carriages and trucks ran down the alleys behind homes, delivering coal through each house's chute that emptied into rowhouse cellars. Abandoned for 40 years, the interior of the structure was so deteriorated that the building could not be rehabbed. The Redevelopment Authority designated the blocks around the icehouse "blighted" in order to condemn the structure. The icehouse was demolished in January 2008.


View, looking southeast, at other buildings in the complex, 1915. These no longer stood at the time the photos at top were taken.

PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 27 November 2007. <http://www.phillyhistory.org>.

9th and Washington Avenue [map]


Thanks for the tip, Laura!

Before they were Ghosts

This blog focuses on remnants of advertising and signage from a different period as they appear today. Here are some great photographs from the Philadelphia Department of Records showing signage as it was, long before some would become ghosts.

I found these via PhillyHistory.org, a mapping website that allows users to search for, view by location, and purchase thousands of historic photographs dating back to the late nineteenth century.



15-21 and 100 N Juniper Street, 1911


42-44 S. Delaware Avenue, 1898


Front and Girard, 1916


143 Front Street, 1918


Front and Arch, 1918


Ridge and Callowhill, 1930


Market and Water Streets, 1953


Front and Market Streets, 1952


American and Fairmount, 1955


Front and Arch Streets, 1959


PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 18 November 2007. <http://www.phillyhistory.org>.

Wanamaker Warehouse

John Wanamaker Wolf St. Warehouse
"??? Bldg." - blotted out with black paint
Wolf Street between Water and Swanson

Article in the Inquirer

I was interviewed by Philadelphia Inquirer metropolitan columnist Dan Rubin about this Philly Ghost Signs Project blog. It was really fun, and has renewed my interest in seeking out and capturing more signage around Philadelphia. The article even made the front page of the Inquirer online!

If you've arrived here from the links in the article, welcome! If you haven't, you can read the full article here. (LINK NO LONGER ACTIVE)

If you have any tips or information on signs that you know about, please send me an email via the link at right. Thanks for looking!

Roxy's

Once named "Roxy's"
Front vertical columns read "LEATHER GOODS" and "HUNTING GOODS"




Main side panel has various trade names
also "SHOT GUN SHELLS" and a prominent fisherman
Another layered (later) sign - "FOR QUICK RELIEF - HOT DROPS(?) - 10c"


Ground floor, side of building - "MONEY" under recently removed paint


Main sign, isolated.



Seen at a distance in the 1980s.

PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 27 November 2007. <http://www.phillyhistory.org>.

Letitia Street at Market Street in Olde City.
One of my favorites.

Addresses

Address plaques painted on the stone columns of the building. Only the address numerals remain visible, the lettering below has been either worn away or removed. Most likely listed the  business services or goods offered by the building's occupants.


This one is similar to the Nathan Trotter columns.

3rd and New Streets [map]

Mirrors and Glass

"MIRRORS AND GLASS"


Here's a shot from 1953, and you can see the sign in the upper left of the photo, in the blue band. There is a hanging sign at street level as well. From this image I can deduce that the company name was "J.E. BERKOWITZ MIRRORS AND GLASS".


Founded in 1920 by Jacob Berkowitz as a glass silvering business. The company, still in business, moved across the Delaware to New Jersey in 1972.

Interesting to note the sign for the Horn and Hardart (left foreground of the above photo) that has now also been covered up by paint or stucco. Empty lot in front of the sign is now the Continental, seen below.


Another view, from 1972. Sign still clearly visible.

Second and Market Street [map]

PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 27 November 2007. <http://www.phillyhistory.org>.

Furniture Industries Mart

Old, multi-layered sign. Large illegible letters under smaller, newer ones.


In this photo taken in 1972, we can discern that the smaller letters of the newer sign read:

"FURNITURE INDUSTRIES MANUFACTURERS SHOW ROOMS"


Here's a photo from 1952, and you can see a much fresher, newer sign in the upper right of the photo. 


This sign has all but disappeared, leaving behind the illegible sign beneath it, with large letters reversed out of white pigment.

32 South 2nd Street [map]

PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 27 November 2007. <http://www.phillyhistory.org>.