When you walk through Old City Philadelphia, you expect to see great buildings that are roughly 200 years old, and there are plenty of those. The more recent buildings that are mixed in are generally much less exciting. I was surprised, then, to stumble upon this beauty, of what appears to be mid-20th century vintage.

I’m not quite sure what’s going on with it now. There’s a sign in the window for condominiums onsite, but the website listed no longer functions and is for sale. A search for National condominiums in Philadelphia does show some sites with info about living there and sales, but none of the images make clear quite where the condominiums are in relation to this building. They did not build on top. Perhaps they are behind it? There are also signs in the window for Level 1 Fitness, which is actually located a block away in a street that is more like an alley.

Shall I continue with my lack of information? Let’s. There is a National Food Service Equipment company in Australia, but I cannot determine anything about the company that seemingly used to be located here, nor do the sites about the condominiums serve up any info about the history of the building.

Even though I was stymied in all my efforts to research this location’s present and past, I love the building, and I’m so glad I had a chance to shoot it on a great morning with great light.