tehshadowbat
Steele Building, February 2017
Fully restored facade.
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Constructed in 1912 by William Steele and Sons Inc., this building served as a bakery and retail outlet for the Horn & Hardart Automat restaurant chain.
Horn and Hardart was founded in 1888 as a luncheonette cafe which was highly successful. In 1902 the company opened the first ever Automat at 818 Chestnut Street. In the Automat, pre-baked items were placed in glass display cases whose doors were unlocked by depositing nickels. This new concept was in instant hit and soon two more locations were opened nearby.
It soon became clear that a new centralized bakery was necessary and the company was also wanting to open a new prototype store that was built from the ground up as opposed to leased storefronts. To fulfill this vision, Horn and Hardart turned to the William Steele and Sons Company.
Founded in the 1880's as a carpentry firm in the city's Kensington section, Steele and Sons expanded to become a major firm specializing in the design and construction of several commercial buildings in Philadelphia.
After being approached by Horn and Hardart, Steele purchased the site at 15 South 11th Street (former site of a theater) in 1910. Working closely with Horn and Hardart, Steele engineered the facility to fit their needs and oversaw the construction, as well as the installation of equipment. Upon completion, Horn and Hardart operated the building under a long term lease from Steele, buying the property outright in 1959.
One of the earliest uses of polychromatic glazed terra-cotta in Philadelphia, the exterior ornament of the Steele building is cited as an example of the "transitional period" in commercial architecture. Perhaps influenced by the work of contemporaries such as Louis Sullivan or Cass Gilbert, the Steele architects designed a building that followed the basic classical design (base shaft and crown) made popular by the Beaux Arts movement, but used abstract detailing that would later be credited as the forerunner of Art Deco.
Engineering wise, the Steele building was considered noteworthy as an early use of reinforced concrete, back when that technology was still relatively new. Albert Kahn's Packard Motor car building (1910) on North Broad street may has served as a direct influence.
Horn and Hardart owned the building until 1969 when it was sold. By that time the once iconic chain (85 locations at it's peak in 1958) was facing pressure from fast food establishments as well as the decline of inner city neighborhoods where they had been fixtures.
In later years the building was home to a variety of storefronts on the ground floor along with the Sound of Market music store (known for it's jazz selection) on the upper floors.
Brickstone Realty purchased the building in 2010 and evicted all the tenants with the intention of renovating the structure into creative office space with new ground floor retail.
In May of 2016, it was announced that The Yard, a Brooklyn based coworking space provider was leasing the entire 24,000 square feet office section. Honeygrow, a locally based eatery will open on the ground floor in 2017
Steele Building, February 2017
Fully restored facade.
=================
Constructed in 1912 by William Steele and Sons Inc., this building served as a bakery and retail outlet for the Horn & Hardart Automat restaurant chain.
Horn and Hardart was founded in 1888 as a luncheonette cafe which was highly successful. In 1902 the company opened the first ever Automat at 818 Chestnut Street. In the Automat, pre-baked items were placed in glass display cases whose doors were unlocked by depositing nickels. This new concept was in instant hit and soon two more locations were opened nearby.
It soon became clear that a new centralized bakery was necessary and the company was also wanting to open a new prototype store that was built from the ground up as opposed to leased storefronts. To fulfill this vision, Horn and Hardart turned to the William Steele and Sons Company.
Founded in the 1880's as a carpentry firm in the city's Kensington section, Steele and Sons expanded to become a major firm specializing in the design and construction of several commercial buildings in Philadelphia.
After being approached by Horn and Hardart, Steele purchased the site at 15 South 11th Street (former site of a theater) in 1910. Working closely with Horn and Hardart, Steele engineered the facility to fit their needs and oversaw the construction, as well as the installation of equipment. Upon completion, Horn and Hardart operated the building under a long term lease from Steele, buying the property outright in 1959.
One of the earliest uses of polychromatic glazed terra-cotta in Philadelphia, the exterior ornament of the Steele building is cited as an example of the "transitional period" in commercial architecture. Perhaps influenced by the work of contemporaries such as Louis Sullivan or Cass Gilbert, the Steele architects designed a building that followed the basic classical design (base shaft and crown) made popular by the Beaux Arts movement, but used abstract detailing that would later be credited as the forerunner of Art Deco.
Engineering wise, the Steele building was considered noteworthy as an early use of reinforced concrete, back when that technology was still relatively new. Albert Kahn's Packard Motor car building (1910) on North Broad street may has served as a direct influence.
Horn and Hardart owned the building until 1969 when it was sold. By that time the once iconic chain (85 locations at it's peak in 1958) was facing pressure from fast food establishments as well as the decline of inner city neighborhoods where they had been fixtures.
In later years the building was home to a variety of storefronts on the ground floor along with the Sound of Market music store (known for it's jazz selection) on the upper floors.
Brickstone Realty purchased the building in 2010 and evicted all the tenants with the intention of renovating the structure into creative office space with new ground floor retail.
In May of 2016, it was announced that The Yard, a Brooklyn based coworking space provider was leasing the entire 24,000 square feet office section. Honeygrow, a locally based eatery will open on the ground floor in 2017