Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published in the Winter 2025 issue of Extant, a publication of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia.
The former Woolworth’s building. | Photo: Google Street View, 2019
Building: Former Woolworth’s
Location: 6174-82 Ridge Avenue
Built: Circa 1920
The demolition of the former Woolworth’s building in Roxborough marks the end of an era for what was once a community retail hub. Although not originally built for the Woolworth Company, the building became part of the chain in the 1930s, operating until the company’s closure in the 1990s. Since then, it housed various businesses, including a JCPenney, Thrift Drug, and state liquor store before its final use as a dollar store and day care.
One of the building’s notable features was its Streamline Moderne facade, which included bright red paneling and red and cream striped awning. The exterior stood as a significant remnant of mid-20th for the mural on its southern elevation, which faced the Roxborough Pocket Park.
Unfortunately, the Ridge Avenue Roxborough Thematic Historic District did not protect the building from demolition, as it was constructed after the 1908 period of significance. Instead, its demolition will make way for a five-story apartment building with 94 units, an underground parking garage, and larger commercial spaces. The new development will significantly change this stretch of Ridge Avenue, historically lined with low-rise, mixed-use buildings that created a pedestrian-friendly main street feel. The loss of the intact row of historic commercial structures alters the character that defined this section of Roxborough’s identity for generations.
Buildings: 100 Block of South 19th Street
Location: 113-119 S. 19th Street and 1823-1821 Sansom Street
Built: 113, mid-20th century; 115-117, circa 1920; 119, circa 1870; 1823, circa 1907; 1821, mid-20th century
The demolition of 113-119 S. 19th Street and 1823-1821 Sansom Street marks the first step in a project initially proposed four years ago. The three four-story structures along 19th Street and smaller-scale buildings along Sansom Street date to the mid-19th and early 20th centuries, but were not listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, falling just outside the northern boundary of the Rittenhouse- Fitler Historic District. The demolished buildings had housed various businesses over the years, including Cavanaugh’s Rittenhouse sports bar on Sansom Street and Topper’s Spa at 115-117 S. 19th Street.
The demolition is part of a plan to construct a 54-story apartment tower on the site, known as Harper Square. This tower will be a companion to The Harper, a luxury apartment building completed in 2019 on the opposite side of 19th Street. The buildings were once planned to have their facades preserved as part of the new development. However, this plan was ultimately abandoned, and the buildings were entirely demolished in the fall. The corner property at 121 S. 19th Street is listed on the Philadelphia Register and will be preserved.
The destruction of 113-119 S. 19th Street and 1823-1821 Sansom Street is a significant loss of historic fabric in the core of Center City, just steps away from Rittenhouse Square. With the current construction financing environment, many fear that in the short term the site will sit vacant until new construction begins.
