When the Workshop of the World was churning full blast, its brand was distinctly American—American Street, that is. The historic industrial Kensington thoroughfare is a shell of its former self but, Devon McReynolds tells us, that spells 21st Century opportunity. The question facing officials: should American Street remain zoned for heavy industry or for an evolving mix of uses?

Half missing and distorted beyond nearly all recognition, the old Girard Theatre is under there, somewhere. The Shadow digs around to find some clues–and the story of the building’s rise and fall