In February, when Lonely Planet named Philadelphia the best U.S. travel destination for 2016, the city’s tired reputation for cheesesteaks, Rocky movies, corruption, and blight–cliches of 1981 or thereabouts–seemed finally put to rest. Now we could proudly speak of world class art museums, a dynamic restaurant scene, the profusion of pop-up gardens and public green space, and booming urban reinvestment–a far cry from the state of the city then. The following photographs from summer 1981 are a sampling from a collection of 193 amateur travel photos that my friend and Hidden City contributor Rachel Hildebrandt acquired from a vintage photography dealer on Ebay. The unknown shutterbug captures Center City, Washington Square West, and South Philly with raw focus during a vulnerable period of economic depression and population decline. This “Old Philadelphia,” as some are wont to call it, is gritty and humble, its rough hewn exterior safeguarding a proud civic heart.
Hildebrandt, a fourth generation Philadelphian on both sides of her family, says she was drawn to the collection for its depiction of an unpolished city, one that has been steadily burnished by decades of tourism marketing and the current wave of redevelopment. “Philadelphia in the 1980s more closely resembles the city that I fell in love with while growing up than the Philadelphia of today,” says Hildebrandt. “These images illustrate and anchor the concept of a sense of place, which the City of Philadelphia has too often destroyed in the name of economic development.”
The first photograph in the collection shows a man leaning on a building at the southwest corner of 12th and Cuthbert Streets. Not one building in the frame still stands today. Others are snapshots of recognizable spots that have endured, like 36 North 3rd Street in Old City and the storefront and brownstones on the corner of 12th and Spruce. Some, like the construction site at 1600 Market Street, show Center City on the cusp of change. Viewed as a whole, the collection is a poignant look back, a snapshot signpost showing Old Philadelphia during a period of conflicted transition. May it serve as yet another visual reminder of the importance to preserve our city’s personality and structural character as we navigate this next phase of reinvention.
12th and Cuthbert Streets
NW corner, 8th and Chestnut
13th and Arch looking south
800 block of South Street
10th and Spruce Streets
7th and South
1600 Market Street
4th and Monroe Streets
Reading Terminal
249 Arch Street
Southwest corner of 11th and Spruce Streets
704 South Street
Northeast corner of 13th and Locust Streets
Near 12th and Market
Northeast corner of 4th and South Streets
20th and Market Streets, looking east
36 North 3rd Street
Southeast corner of 22nd and Chestnut Streets
Location unknown
12th and Locust Streets looking north
16th and Vine Streets
The 2nd to last picture “12th and Spruce Streets looking north” should be 12th and Locust looking north.
Good eye, Paul! Corrected.
does anyone remember the name of the bar at 42nd and baltimore in the 80’s?
Are you thinking of the track n turf on 42nd and Chester? I remember royal pizza was on the corner of 42nd and baltimore
Are you talking about “Off the Wagon?”
I’m thinking off the wagon
“Off the Wagon” (had a wagon wheel out front) was between 45th and 46th on Baltimore. It is now “Queen of Sheba”.
I’m pretty sure Track and Turf was at 42nd and Chester where Mill Creek Tavern is now.
The World Lounge!
The Wurst House.
Cool photos! I like that version of 12th & Cuthbert way more than what we have today.
21 is actually 12th and locust looking north. 22 is 16th and vine before the vine street expressway.
#4 is the 800 block of South Street.
Grazie GroJ!
So great. Are the other 100+ photos shared anywhere?
Right? I’m dying to see the rest!
Yes, please!!
Double please.
The Clinton pharmacy at 10th & Spruce also had the last drugstore lunch counter in Philadelphia.
The Clinton Pharmacy ante dated Beaux Arts Video. Eddie and Minnie Fine who ran the Clinton Pharmacy were like family to me. I still can image Minnie’s grilled cheese sandwich and remember her making orangeade and lemonade squeezing the fruit at the counter. We lived at 1002 Spruce and my Dad’s office was on the first floor.
We lived at 262 South 10th Street and I too remember the grilled cheese and tomatoe soup at the counter. I would buy candy and pay at the register that was in the left and the food counter was on the right. Great memories from 47 years ago!
I used to spend my allowance each week and Minnie and Ed’s on a comic book and yummy burger and read at the counter. They were awesome folks! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the memories.
I came to the city in ’82 for Art School, and eventually moved there in ’86.
My first place was on S. 10th St & Locust, by the alley to the Hospital.
I know most of these spots, and WOW!
Yes, pleaes do post some more.
Thanks!
At the time this photo was taken I was living on Portico Row, the 900 block of Spruce Street. I remember well Fine’s Drug Store. My mother’s sister went to Jefferson Nursing school in the 1940’s and the nurses’ dorm was on the 1000 block of Spruce Street. She also went to Fine’s Drug Store when she attended Jefferson.
Corson’s Pharmacy on 15th and Spruce Streets had a lunch counter until the early 90s.
WHEN IN CENTER CITY I WOULD GO TO “POP EDWARDS” FOR HOT ROASTBEEF SANDWICH
Northern Liberties… Checkerboard paste up of Bobby Startup posters for either the Hot Club or the East Side.
12th & Market… Drove a U-Haul up onto the sidewalk in the middle of the afternoon, climbed on top with a bolt cutter and removed the bar sign now at Silk City and a big Kelley’s Oysters sign… just ahead of the wrecker ball.
13th & Locust… The Golden 33 and worse… The Bag O’ Nails next door. Gee, let’s go out tonight and have a really, really bad time… Youch!
Also, the photo labeled Northern Liberties is actually the NE corner of Fourth and South Streets. It’s a Starbucks now. You can clearly see First On Your Block Imports with its yellow storefront a few doors above South St in the background.
Thanks Miguel!
Yes, Bobby Startup flyers! I almost can see little Zeke Zagar rolling by on his skateboard!
I made my first trip to Philly about this time. I thought it was a horrible, filthy place and couldn’t understand why anyone would want to live here. As it happened, I ended up moving here in 1998 and the city was already changing dramatically. Today, I’m happy both to live here and to show it off to tourists who visit. These pictures are a wonderful time capsule of a difficult period in Philadelphia history. I’d love to see them all!
The Discomat I believe was at 13th and Market a little past Boyd’s you had to go down stairs to get to it..
I was thinking that too, but the one you had to go down stairs for was Funkomart. Not sure if this is its predecessor.
Discomat was on 11th St south (or below) Market St
Wonderful photos. I would never want to trade today’s Philadelphia for the one in these photos, but I would like to go back then and buy real estate in Center City.
That difficult time period was my youth.
What an exceptional trove. We felt very adventuresome to come in town to the new restaurants popping up around 4th & South. We walked these streets as kids and thought nothing of the grit. It gave me an appreciation of where we are now. Thanks for these. Despite the “horrible filthiness” that Bob witnessed, we knew all the time there was something very special about this city and it has finally come to light more generally.
Love the “before” photo of the SW corner of 11th and Spruce. I was the Project Architect at Agoos Lovera for the rehabilitation of that building, including adding those little balconies along 11th, that brought this great, but derelict, building back to life over 20 years ago. Thanks so much for posting all these photos!
*Somebody* must remember that Discomat store, surely? One page deep on Google and it looks like a small chain in NJ/NY called Disc-o-mat was bought out by Crazy Eddie at some point, but this looks like an independent store for sure.
Actually, I just looked up their incorporation documents and I confirmed with my mom. Their incorporation documents say 1 North 12th Street. The reading terminal headhouse. It would be where the Hard Rock is now.. a couple of doors up from the state store.
https://www.corporations.pa.gov/search/corpsearch <– there's the lookup too. Looking at the picture it does look like the 12th and Market I remember before the convention center got built but I don't remember that place there specifically. (I thought it was 10 blocks away)
I’ve been looking into it and found that this was Discomat, Inc, not Disco-mat from NY/NJ. The only address I can find for it is the same as Reading Terminal Market, which just makes it more confusing.
The entrance to the Reading Terminal was only escalators, going up to the train station. The first floor had many stores, including Horn and Hardarts. My family worked in the train shed, and it was a glorious place for a kid. Many stores, rows of benches, and even a bar.
We knew to go to the bar to look for my uncles, lol.
This was back when the Market underneath was in a decline, but still had many great stores, (Harry Ochs, Bassets, etc.)
I remember going into the Glass House restaurant, which would be the farthest left hand corner from the 12th street entrance of the Market.
A full turkey dinner, with coffee and dessert was $2.75.
The city wasn’t so pretty then, but I loved it anyway.
There was another picture that was actually of 12th and Spruce, but it seems to have been removed. It isn’t the one that was marked 12th and Locust. What happened to the picture?
Hey Dana,
It’s still there. Maybe you are thinking of 12th and Locust Streets looking north.
I have lived across the street from about half of these and about the time they were taken: 1005 Spruce, 1028 Spruce and 728 South. The Vine St. Expressway construction photo was right outside my office. Thank you so much. I love that town.
I’m not old only 36 however growing up in the city my older siblings would take me places as a kid and even when I was a teen I prefer market street and south street to how it was back then to what they are now.. For example south st now is a bunch of crappy over priced stores.. So is center city.. I. Miss tower books and records where you could hang out for hours and not be questioned.. Now they follow you the minute you walk threw the door.. I take the philly I grew up in over what it is today.. Btw I loved these pics..
Hell, I made love at many of those sites. Pretty amazing article!
Love the pic of Doc Johnson’s at 13th and Arch, those were great days, a lot of good adult entertainment places (Apollo, Studio, Arch Street Palace).
Doc Johnson’s for years was the epitome of Arch Street! I used to wait for the #12 bus at 13th & Market (on the island between Wanamaker’s and the Apollo). Very interesting place, the Apollo. Lots of characters. I like updated Philly, but I really love the walk down memory lane of old Philly – thanks so much for these treasures.
I lived in Philly from 1976-1984 an art student at PCA (UArts). My boyfriend and I bought a building at 21st and Bainbridge, right after graduation and renovated it. My art studio on the second floor literally had no back wall only a sheet of plastic until we built one! My boyfriend would leave the house with a flashlight, crowbar, screwdriver and hammer in his tool belt, saying he was going “shopping”. He would go down to South street between about 6th and 12th street and get sinks and claw foot tubs etc. for our renovation from the abandoned and open buildings. I used to be so scared that he would get trapped and I wouldn’t have any idea where he was (before cell phones of course!) When my daughter went to UArts in 2007 she was looking at an apartment to rent. She told me she had found one on 10th and South. I said “Oh honey , not there, that’s a terrible area” She said ” What are you talking about, it’s all new construction?!” How things have changed!4th and South Street used to be all galleries and funky shops! My daughter lives in Philly now and has just bought a house and loves living there. I have wonderful memories of that time! I was showing and selling my art at The Works Gallery,on South St. and Marion Locks Gallery, renovating houses…. just a great time!
HI Gail Brookover, I moved into your building on Bainbridge and miss old Philadelphia. a lot.
Heart of “Old” Philadelphia, love that. I lived, born and raised in Philly (1939 to 1965) now that’s “Old” Philly. The majority of the buildings, including one house I lived in are gone. I doubt I would even recognize any of the city now. Neat photos though, thank you.
I lived in Philly 1982-87. Oh, I had forgotten! I loved living there and have not been back in many years. Thank you for sharing the great pictures.
3rd picture from the bottom (Discomat) is N. 12th street just off of Market. It was also part of the reading terminal building. I used to buy records there.
The caption “Market Street between 19th and 20th Streets” should also be tweaked. The named block is in view, but the foreground is the 2000 block. A better caption would be “20th and Market, looking east”.
What a great set of photos!
I remember 4&Monroe stores. As a little girl we would shop at the clothes stands for summer clothes! I loved growing up in Philadelphia during that time period!
Nice set of pictures that takes me back to the time when I was 27 with brown hair and the ability to hit golf balls 275 yards!
Thanks for posting these great pics. I can see the back of our Lombard Mews townhouse on the 8th and South picture. We lived there from 1971 when I was 6 to 1983 when I went off to college. It was a great place to grow up with some sketchy moments thrown in. A mix of well kept and crumbling with plenty of freedom to run around and plenty of abandoned houses to play in. Glad to hear the neighborhood has done well!
Upon seeing these photos the first thing visually that came to mind was the movie “Blowout”! Which coincidentally was also released in 1981!The movie depicts a post Bicentennial city with one foot mired in its past and the other not quite ready to step into the future! I especially enjoyed the scenes filmed in what was then an up and running Reading Terminal RR station!
The pic of Northeast corner of 4th and South Streets is actually the northwest corner of 4th and South where Lickity Split was.
The 12th and Market pic brings back many memories. I used to wait for the trolley in front of the Optimo Cigar store back when I was a kid in the 80’s.
Funny I was thinking it was the South East corner of 4th and South!
Re: the 13 And Arch photo…any Philly area high school or college athlete who had contact lenses probably got them from Dr Bernard J Simmons on the nw corner. He is in the PA sports hall of fame. Got mine there about 1977 or so.
Those contacts (circa 1975?)totally changed my game, outstanding reference!
I am a now-distant member of the Franklin Inn Club, located on Camac Street, and between Chestnut and Locust. I lived on Clinton & 10th Streets, so these pictures bring back a lot of memories of the “Odd Fellows” neighborhood.
The movie “Nasty Habits” was filmed in and around Philadelphia in the late ’70s, and so has some candid views of Center City, as a very busy and dingy place of old buildings and small stores.
“Mikey and Nicky” was another one that depicted the area around City Hall Annex as depressed.
Great pictures, evoking good and bad memories. In the late 70’s – early 80’s I lived first on 10th near Spruce and later on 11th next to Doc Watson’s. It may have been dumpy but it was cheap, and I doubt that a working-class kid could afford his own apartment in that neighborhood now.
Great photos! I lived at 1104 Spruce Street in the 80’s and remember that building depicted. It was fun back in the day…the eclectic mix of people, good cheap food and drink, excellent live music.
Our apartments , in 1971,72 , 73, were two floors above a “practice place” for a band.called Elizabeth, and later, Good God- at – 136 North 3rd Street. Brillo, me, our newborn Seth Donkochik, Barry and Paula, their daughter and. Whole bunch of others. They came and went. Rent was paid to Stanley Bros. at the price of $70.00 a month per floor.Other human was Bruce, a silversmith who made jewelry. Probably should have mAde an offer to buy but I hate cockroaches!
Great stuff!
I own the “Boy Togs” sign shown in photo #11.
Rachel please contact me. Allen
I think the man standing outside Fine’s Drugstore at 10th and Spruce is Mr Fine, Lived nearby in 1970s
Correct me if I’m wrong but the photo of the NW corner of 4th & South was Likity Split Restaurant. I remember going there in the late 70’s into the 80’s and then it became a pizza joint that’s still there today. The photo shows a building that’s out of business with lots of posters stapled to the outside that’s boarded up. I don’t think that’s 4th & South???
My uncles had a place called Race pizza on 13th race from 1971-2007, which was taken down after the expansion on the convention center.
Very gritty but transitional period for Philly. Two movies that captured this era were Blowout and Trading Places made in 81 and 83 respectively.Blowout had several scenes from a still operational Reading Terminal train station and Trading Places displayed a still very down and out South street.The photos in this article are a stark illustration of Philly then and now.
No one has mentioned Pop Edwards, shown in the construction photo at 16th and Market. It was a great bar, at 1624 Market. Does anyone know what years it was there?
we lived at 4th and Monroe 1978-84, gritty city maybe, but great people and great life!
I miss this Philadelphia a lot. It was a great place to be 20 years old – run down, bleak and desolate, but cheap and fun and free(dom), it was like someone gave us the keys to the city every night and said “have fun, it’s all yours”.
How can we see the rest of this treasure?
In the 1600 Market Street photo, the building frame in the center is what remained of the Milgram Theatre (formerly the Stanton), in the midst of being demolished. An earlier photo of the same location is at http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/3393
These bring back memories from my 20s and 30s when I was first working in the city. As a suburbanite, the grittiness was a bit unsettling at first. Nice to see the photos, but I welcome the changes that have occurred, for the most part. Nonetheless, vast stretches of the city look more like this than they look like the gentrified neighborhoods (i.e., if you want grit, there is plenty left).
Those photos are such great reminders of the late 20th century. The color of the images (non-digital world) and the mood of the streets and their people look like the world wasn’t so different in various countries back then.
I left Philly in 1982, around the time these wonderful photos were taken, and I returned in May 2019 to a very different city, indeed When I was growing up (b. 1953), the question was whether downtown development would seep into the neighborhoods beyond. Returning, I see substantial evidence of that, although I have to note the intractable scandal that is the amount of poverty among Philadelphians. Aside from all of that, the pics of South Street just blew me away.
Wow, thank goodness for Ed Rendell!
Does anyone remember the name of a club on the northeast corner at 46th and Walnut Street?
Philly has so much history!
49 — was it the Watutsi II, at 46 & Walnut?
Was BoyTogs just boys’ clothes? Did they sell clothes after a fire?
I was raised in MLK projects 13th & Fitzwater and remember finding a coat at the newly burnt down BoyTogs 704 South St late 60s. Despite the smoke smell l wore that warm coat. Good times.
I have a ton of old photos in an album entitled “vanishing Philadelphia”, some of which previously posted here. Does anyone remember the fruity smells emanating from Ott’s Flavors, an old industrial establishment located along the City Branch spur of the Reading viaduct?Also, Quaker Photo and Kosmin’s Camera Exchange on Arch Street? or Nicholas Smith model train shop?