Philadelphia Finally Getting an Apple Store?
If you’re the sixth-largest U.S. city and have the third-biggest downtown area in the country, you would think the world’s hottest retail brand would have a significant presence in your city. Not so with Philadelphia and Apple.
Ever since Apple opened their first store in 2001, buildings in Philly that would have seemed to fit the company’s retail requirements have come and gone, forcing would-be customers to travel to the suburbs or New Jersey, or deal with the sub-par experience at privately-owned Springboard Media.
At the start of the year, there seemed to be hope. Rumors had Apple close to a deal that would have landed them in the retail space of 1619 Walnut St., a 9,000 sq. ft. spot that had been home to Georges Perrier’s Brasserie Perrier for 12 years. (The restaurant’s below-market lease had expired and they chose not to renew at terms that would have been 4-5x the previous deal.)
Great location. Good size. Historic building (the Mike Douglas Show was filmed there in the 60’s and 70’s). Only the deal never happened. I’m not sure why, but it was possibly due to structural issues with the building itself. For instance, in June, three marble panels of the facade, measuring three by six feet each, fell 80 feet to busy Walnut St., necessitating a full re-do of the building’s exterior front that is just now beginning. (Amazingly enough, no one was injured.)
Now comes word from within the commercial real estate world about a new Walnut St. location for Apple just steps away. From what I’ve heard, chances are you’ll be seeing Apple set up shop at 1609 Walnut St., a two-story building that had most recently been a TD Bank branch. The building seems to fit the aesthetic of other big city spots that Apple has and assuming a lease is close to being finalized, we could be looking at an opening next spring. It’s certainly long overdue.
(Though the owners of 1619 Walnut failed to land Apple as a tenant, the building’s new look will be heavily influenced by Apple. Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the architecture firm who did Apple’s Fifth Avenue, SoHo, Ginza and Regent Street storefronts, as well as Bill Gates’ home, will be designing the facade. Early sketches bare a striking resemblance to the Mac Pro tower design.)