Recently, Philly YIMBY visited the imposing eight-story prewar building located 5627-33 Germantown Avenue, where a residential renovation is currently being planned. The structure stands on the eastern corner of the intersection of Germantown and Chelten avenues, in the core of Germantown’s primary commercial district, half a block east of Vernon Park. The development will reinvigorate the 90,515-square-foot, 100-plus-year-old structure with renovated ground-level retail and 47 residential units above. Permits list Scott Woodruff as the architect, City Suburban Home Builders, LLC as the contractor, and a construction cost of $7.75 million.
5627-33 Germantown Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. June 2022
5627-33 Germantown Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. June 2022
5627-33 Germantown Avenue has quite an illustrious history. The building, originally used as offices for the Germantown Trust Company, which has occupied the site since 1898, was constructed in a series of expansions around the first half of the twentieth century, with the most significant one taking place in 1929, in the heyday of a nationwide high-rise construction frenzy, when the eight-story tower was assembled at the site.
The Germantown Trust Company vacated the building in 1947. Two years later, the exterior was altered when the C.A. Rowell Department Store moved in. In 1975, the structure became home to the nation’s first African-American-owned department store when Curtis Sisco Sr. acquired the company.
5627-33 Germantown Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. June 2022
5627-33 Germantown Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. June 2022
5627-33 Germantown Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. June 2022
5627-33 Germantown Avenue looms large both on the Germantown skyline and in the neighborhood’s history. Although renovation permits have already been issued, we observed no construction activity at the site (the Walgreens pharmacy that was a ground-flooor tenant has been shuttered for some time now). We look forward to progress on this significant development in the near future.
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do it well, or don’t do it.
Several decades ago this building housed several vibrant tenants (law firms, social agencies, advertising agencies, real estate firms, employment agencies, etc). Frank L. Rizzo was the new mayor, I don’t remember if the department store was still open for business. However, I do remember
meeting with a social/ advocacy/lawyer regarding the new mayor. I think the office was on the seventh floor where we had a lengthy discussion. Hopefully, renovations will be done well.
You noted that the Walgreen’s has been shuttered for some time; that store decamped to the ground level of the former Allen’s department store a block west at Greene and Chelten, a few years ago. However, as your photos show, the ground floor of this building only recently became home to a DTLR sneaker, etc. store, which itself relocated from directly diagonal across the intersection from this building, in the past year. I wonder if this project will oust that new store or retain it.
One of the worst things about this building currently is that the old showcases from the Rowell’s store were partially covered up when Walgreen’s moved in. I hope the renovations restore the look of the ground floor.
Walgreens moved out due to rampant shoplifting allowed by Larry Krasner as he decreed that police could not arrest shoplifters unless the aggregate loss was over $500!
Shoplifting hurts many merchants and can lead to store closures when the city will lose wage taxes and net profit taxes.
Hopefully, construction will resume unless the Historical Commission wants to be blamed for killing renovations of this esteemed building!
Nonsense, they moved just a block away.
Also, permits have been issued; the Historical Commission requirements were handled at the staff level from what I can see.
Oh please