Smyser and English Pharmacy

The story

Written by AI from this property's National Register nomination and the record above; every sentence is checked against its sources before it appears here. Corrections: privacy@treealive.com

The Smyser and English Pharmacy is a Queen Anne style building at 245-247 W. Chelten Ave. in Philadelphia, designed and built by J.D. Caldwell in 1886-1887.

Why it's listed

It was listed under criteria A and C, with local-level significance in health/medicine and architecture. Its period of significance runs from about 1886 to 1950, reflecting its 1886-1887 construction.

Physical character

It has brick walls on a stone foundation, sandstone sills, an asbestos roof, and wood brackets, sash and doors. A projecting bay window rises through the second and third stories beneath a gambrel roof, and the facade has a Palladian window, an ornamental cornice with wood brackets, and segmental brick arches. Inside, a bluestone stair and a Queen Anne stairway lead past mahogany-stained wooden cabinets and tiled fireplaces; the pharmacy held a soda fountain and dispensary.

Historical context

George M. Smyser bought the property in 1883, and the pharmacy branch opened in 1886 and was inaugurated in 1887. The business passed to Leedom and Wissler in 1895 and to Jules Baron in 1947, who bought the building in 1964. Around 1950 the rear yard became a parking lot, and around 1960 the balcony and soda fountain were removed and the upper floors divided into four units.