Before 218 North 13th Street was the site of Nom Wah’s Philadelphia outpost, it was home to an array of interesting tenants.
Known as the Ballinger Building, the building was commissioned in December 1890 by F.A. Ballinger—house painter and decorator. Architect Albert W. Dilks was responsible for the project, creating a Renaissance-style façade, which served as the headquarters fore Ballinger’s house painting business. Richard Ballinger (no relation), a bricklayer, made use of the upstairs office space of the new building. R. Ballinger went on to take over the whole building after the death of F.A. Ballinger in 1901.
In the subsequent years, the Ballinger Building housed several different businesses, including a flower shop. It wasn’t until the 1960s when Barnard L. Sackett, an aspiring movie producer—who is best known for sexploitation flicks—established his film production company, Adelphia Pictures, in the neighborhood.
Towards the end of the 20th century, 218 North 13th Street continued to shuffle in identity, from architectural firm to printing headquarters to printing to hardware.
For more detail on the building’s history, visit Hidden City: Philadelphia.
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