Whatever Happened to that Northern Liberties Shopping Center?

by Amy L. Webb

It’s been four years since Tower Investments bought the old C. Schmidt & Sons Brewery site on Second Street and Girard Avenue, and the only development so far has been a trash pile.

In January 2000, Bart Blatstein, who heads Tower Investments, bought the 14-acre site for $1.8 million during a sheriff's sale. It had been a bustling complex of buildings and offices in the 1940s before entering a long wane. The label was finally sold and the brewery closed in 1987.

The original plan was to bring some of Blatstein's successes on Columbus Boulevard to Northern Liberties. Blatstein is credited with rehabilitating the lower riverfront in South Philly, where he brought massive retailers like Home Depot and Wal-Mart to dilapidated industrial sites. Blatstein also lured United Artists and developed the Riverview movie theater/entertainment complex.

On the Schmidt's site, Blatstein wanted to build a 400,000-square-foot shopping center and anchor the project with a major grocery retailer. After Blatstein acquired the property, his company moved demolition trucks in to rip apart the remaining buildings. Though his plan was to build a strip mall, Blatstein asked residents for alternative ideas on how to develop the site. One suggestion -- to turn the lot into a new baseball stadium for the Phillies -- failed to gain approval in City Hall.

In February 2001, a group of artists and community activists held a vigil outside of the old brew house, which was finished in 1914 and was one of the last works by Philadelphia architect Otto C. Wolf. At that point, Blatstein had already secured demolition permits and was preparing to level the remaining buildings.

Now, a chainlink fence surrounds the lot. It isn't clear why the lot has been left mostly empty, save for a single yellow bulldozer and heaps of old papers, cracked bottles and rotting food. The site has been criticized in community meetings, where residents have expressed concern about the garbage and pests.

Neither Blatstein nor any representative of Tower Investments could be reached for comment.

Councilman Frank DiCicco was unavailable, but a spokesperson said that she did not know the status of the site or proposed mall. "As far as I know, plans haven't changed," she said, adding that the councilman is aware that construction has been idle.

Tower Investments has been buying property around Northern Liberties, developing loft spaces and apartments. Blatstein has said that he originally envisioned Northern Liberties as a community for artists, both to live and to work.

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