Stetson remains in Philadelphia!

[St.Ignatz]

Gee, I guess I should have written "The Remains of Stetson in Philadelphia".

The frieze on the other side of the building was destroyed to make wake way for a "timeless" glass and stainless steel facade.

[Here is the location of the building:

1225 Sansom St
Philadelphia, PA 19107

-HJ]

 

[MattJH]

I walk by this all the time but never thought to take a picture for anybody. Nicely done.

 

[Lefty]

It's incredible that so little remains of what was once a near company town. Stetson had it's own hospital and police force, sold coal to its employees, offered home mortgages, held etiquette classes for women, and welcomed Hollywood stars and international dignitaries. Their underground fur storage facilities held millions of pelts. They built a new structure for nearly every operation - straw hats in '28 and caps in '29.

Now, there's a doorway to a sushi lounge.

 

[jimmy the lid]

Thanks for posting those, St. Ignatz. Can you tell us the street address, as well?

Cheers,
JtL

 

[Lefty]

It looks like a nice place.

 

[MattJH]

It looks like a nice place.

The quality of the food and beer options in this city are ridiculous.

Everybody should come visit.

 

[Lefty]

Having visited friends who live in Philly (right around the Italian market) a number of times, I'd love to move there. Finding the right job there has been the challenge.

 

[B. F. Socaspi]

My great uncle worked at the Stetson factory back in the day.

 

[MattJH]

Having visited friends who live in Philly (right around the Italian market) a number of times, I'd love to move there.

Of all places! When I step out of my apartment and look to my left, I'm looking at the Italian Market where Carpenter hits 9th Street.

 

[Lefty]

Here you go.
1225 Sansom St
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 238-1903

 

[jimmy the lid]

Having visited friends who live in Philly (right around the Italian market) a number of times, I'd love to move there. Finding the right job there has been the challenge.

I used to live in Chestnut Hill. It's a great town.

Cheers,
JtL

 

[tortswon]

January 24 Philly Hat Crawl

The quality of the food and beer options in this city are ridiculous.

Everybody should come visit.

Please check the events section for the announcement of the first Philly Hat Crawl. If anyone is inclined to do some post hat and cigar pub crawling, let me know. I have excellent contacts in the food and beverage leaders in this town as I teach hospitality management part time. Everyone is invited! Best, Sam

PS If you want, we will pass by the old Stetson offices photographed by St. Ignatz to pay our respects.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Question for Philly folks, since I haven't been to North Broad Street in years, is the Botany 500 factory still there???

 

[MattJH]

Question for Philly folks, since I haven't been to North Broad Street in years, is the Botany 500 factory still there???

I've never even heard of it...

 

[tonyb]

Any of you Philadelphia fellas (or anyone else for that matter) have any firsthand experience with the Chestnut Street retail store? My noodling on the 'net indicates that Chestnut is the main drag and the street on the opposite side of the building from the Samson side.

Stetson left Philadelphia in -- what? -- 1972? Was the store in operation until then? Or did it close earlier? Or (unlikely, this) did it remain open after the hat-making moved away?

 

[jimmy the lid]

Stetson left Philadelphia in -- what? -- 1972? Was the store in operation until then? Or did it close earlier? Or (unlikely, this) did it remain open after the hat-making moved away?

Snyder's "Stetson Hats" book reports that the Stetson Philadelphia store closed in mid-April 1968. According to Snyder, Stetson was out of the hat manufacturing business by January 1971.

Cheers,
JtL

 

[MattJH]

My noodling on the 'net indicates that Chestnut is the main drag and the street on the opposite side of the building from the Samson side.

For visitors and tourists, the two main shopping districts are Chestnut Street and Walnut Street on the west side of Broad, which cuts Center City into two in a north and south direction, with Market doing the same in an east and west direction. Market and Broad intersect at City Hall, which is in the dead center of town. South Street, between 2nd Street and 8th Street, offers many alternative shopping options. It's where the "freaks" show up, and it's also where most of the hat shops are located, as well as a few great venues to see live music, and bars to drink great beer.

There's also all of the attractions in the Chestnut Hill / Manayunk / Roxborough section in Northwest Philly, all of the sports complexes and stadiums and authentic Italian cuisine (including the outdoor Italian Market) in South Philly, the parks and museums of West Philly, the art galleries and food of Northern Liberties / Fishtown / Port Richmond / East Kensington, and the Irish-American fairs and festivities of the Near and Far Northeast.

In Center City, there's plenty - Penns Landing concerts, the Constitution Center (including the Liberty Bell and the Constitution, of course), museums, an IMAX and 3D theater, fountains, the largest TV in the world, Rittenhouse Square picnicking, antique shop(pe)s, etc. etc. etc. History is everywhere.

With the exception of the ghettos of Upper North Philadelphia, Southwest Philadelphia, Olney, and West Kensington (these are the neighborhoods that give this town a bad reputation, but they are contained, trust me), all of Philadelphia has something for you to do or enjoy.

 

[B. F. Socaspi]

Philly definitely has the extremes. The nice parts are nice, the bad parts are a deathwish.

 

[St.Ignatz]

Question for Philly folks, since I haven't been to North Broad Street in years, is the Botany 500 factory still there???

Botany 500 located at the N. broad st. station of the old Reading Railroad was a looming hulk with half a sign left on it until it succumbed to fire a couple years back. For those too young to know Botany 500, among other claims to fame they were the sponsors and clothiers to Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show"'

 

[St.Ignatz]

Any of you Philadelphia fellas (or anyone else for that matter) have any firsthand experience with the Chestnut Street retail store? My noodling on the 'net indicates that Chestnut is the main drag and the street on the opposite side of the building from the Samson side.

Stetson left Philadelphia in -- what? -- 1972? Was the store in operation until then? Or did it close earlier? Or (unlikely, this) did it remain open after the hat-making moved away?

The Chestnut St. front had the 15'x15' frieze. I put off taking photos until it was too late. I'm trying to get in touch with an old friend who took a couple shot's about three years ago.