Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published in the Winter 2026 issue of Extant, a publication of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia.
Mighty Mick’s Gym/Lost Time Brewing Company
Location: 2145 North Front Street
Architect: Unknown
Built: 1910
The flatiron building wedged into the nexus of Front Street and Susquehanna Avenue in Kensington exemplifies the Philly accolade of “gritty.” The 115- year-old, three-story brick structure preceded the construction of the adjacent Market–Frankford Line. In recent decades, it was a Dollar Plus store and is now a mixed-use apartment building with a microbrewery and taproom called Lost Time Brewing Company on the ground floor.
Yet, the building’s well-deserved reputation is that it served as the exterior of the fictional Mighty Mick’s Gym in the 1976 film Rocky and reappeared in several sequels. (A storefront across the street that was used as the location of the pet shop where Rocky wooed Adrian was razed in 2017.)
The recent installation of another Rocky statue at the Philadelphia International Airport may be more than some residents feel the city requires. Yet, for all of the fans and tourists who make the pilgrimage to the base of the steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art for a photo with Rocky, this building in Kensington, a genuine, if quirky, relic of our cinematic heritage, is worthy of a listing on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, particularly as the original movie marks its 50th anniversary in 2026. Yo!
