The story
Philadelphia's last surviving movie palace was demolished despite being named one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.
Everything that was here
- 1928–2002
Boyd TheatreTheater
Philadelphia's last surviving movie palace was demolished despite being named one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.
See the map in 1929 → - 1925–1980
Benjamin Franklin HotelHotel
Philadelphia's last great pre-Depression hotel turned away the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 because Jackie Robinson was on the team.
See the map in 1926 → - 1902–1971
Keith's TheatreTheater
Fred Astaire, Charlie Chaplin, and the Marx Brothers all performed on this vaudeville stage before it became a movie palace.
See the map in 1903 → - 1902–1968
Horn & Hardart AutomatRestaurant
The world's first Automat restaurant solved Philadelphia's 'rapid transit luncheon problem' and inspired a dining revolution.
See the map in 1903 → - 1850–1957
Jayne BuildingOffice Building
The eight-story Venetian Gothic tower was the prototype for American skyscrapers, built by a patent medicine king and demolished for Independence Mall.
See the map in 1851 →
Nearby history
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