511’s history

511 N Broad Street occupies the southeast corner of Broad and Spring Garden — the Callowhill side of the intersection. Odd Fellows’ hall stood here first. The Lea estate built this ten-story tower for automobile firms. The upper floors were offices through 2006; floors 2–10 have been homes since 2007.

The story of this lot

A hall, then a tower

For most of the nineteenth century this corner was Odd Fellows’ Broadway Hall — a four-story brick lodge that later housed the Girls’ Commercial High School. In August 1909 the hall went to public auction. Henry Charles Lea, the Philadelphia publisher and historian whose fortune was mostly city real estate, took title for $65,000. The lot was about 53 feet on Broad by 100 feet deep. The Inquirer guessed he would build a large garage, like one he had put up on Broad above Race. Lea died that October. His estate did not build a garage.

Two months after his death, Watson & Huckel finished plans for a ten-story fireproof building of steel and concrete: passenger and freight elevators, steam heat, electric light and power, sprinklers, and open manufacturing floors with no posts. In February 1910 Anna J. Lea bought 1334 Spring Garden so the lot could grow. By June the Inquirer reported Roydhouse, Arey erecting the tower for the estate — about $205,000, a lot 100 feet 3 inches by 73 feet 2¼ inches, stores on the first floor, light manufacturing above, three elevators. The Broad Street and Spring Garden elevations (HSP, job 287, sheets 4 and 5) still show the storefronts and the Spring Garden entrance. The tower that went up is the one we live in.

Broad Street auto row, mills upstairs

Street numbers 511 through 519 were never separate buildings. They were this one façade. Diamond Rubber, then B. F. Goodrich, took 519 (Goodrich ads also listed 517–519). McClintock Tire sat at 517. SAFE. advertised tires at 511 — “four doors below Spring Garden.” Bankers’ Auto Finance sold and refinanced cars from 513, “opposite Baldwin’s.” Central Trust put a Broad Street office in the corner store. Cosmos Finance wrote auto loans on the second floor. Out front, the subway was still being built in the 1920s; by 1941 a kiosk stood in the intersection.

Upstairs the floors were lofts. Electric Tachometer took the whole fifth floor in 1913 (~8,000 square feet) and was still packing spare parts on the third in 1943. Jacob Reed’s Sons cut wartime uniform coats on 8 and 9. Lincoln Silk and then Victory Knitting ran circular machines on 9. Superior Knitting wound silk on 7. Sydmaur Uniform made coats on 10. King Card addressed envelopes on 4. The Philadelphia Mechanical and Electrical School taught auto work from a Spring Garden entrance — they called it the Spring Garden Building.

In October 1919 Miss Lea sold the finished tower to Isenberg Brothers (about 100 feet on Broad by 73 on Spring Garden, assessed $280,000). A 1920 bird’s-eye by Joseph M. Huston shows this ten-story corner in the foreground of a proposed Spring Garden approach to a Delaware River bridge — the bridge later opened on Vine Street instead. A 1924 rental ad still listed ~7,300 square feet a floor, light on all four sides — apply at 513.

Headquarters, offices, then homes

In October 1938 the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Red Cross opened headquarters here — canteen, open house, and later nurse recruiting from 511 N Broad. That is why Motor Corps ambulances could line the curb in November 1942, and why volunteers packed nearly half a million surgical dressings in this building. By April 1945 the chapter occupied six floors; after the building sold they were told to vacate four of them.

After the war the lofts shifted: Pearlman’s appliances on the corner by 1948; four floors advertised at once (28,000 square feet, $1.15 a foot); Yawn School of Photography; Royal Typewriter’s service shop; an office-equipment repair school; Burroughs Adding Machine on 7 and 8 for offices and experimental laboratories. Yellow Cab recruited here; by 1962 papers were calling this the Yellow Cab Building when William Penn Business Institute moved in. Borg-Warner’s Omnitronics took the whole third floor. The Spring Garden corner shop was a White Tower Hamburgers through the 1960s and 1970s — the porcelain front and hamburger sign show in the 1962 street photos and again in a 1975 clip looking south on Broad. Shap’s Corner Luncheonette later took that same bay. General Electric’s printer-reader group was here in 1967.

By the late 1980s the tower was an office building again: Phila Water Resources on 7, a 1989 restoration of lobby, elevators, security, and all ten floors. Phone-book listings from that same era put USRA Construction here and Spectra Engineering on the 6th floor — tenants the newspapers never advertised. Philadelphia Neighborhood Housing Services dedicated a revived headquarters at suite 601 in 1989 and was still listed on the 4th floor in 1995. The 1990s also brought Liberty Academy of Business, LSMS in 902, and Youth Opportunities Philadelphia on 2. Upper floors stayed offices through 2006.

City records still file the lot as 511–19 N Broad (map registry 003N200215). The condominium parcel originated 13 December 2005 — 67 deeded units. L&I permits in January–March 2007 fit out NovaCare on the first floor (sprinklers, electrical, powder rooms) and issued temporary occupancy for floors 7–10 in February and floors 4–6 in March. An Inquirer ad that March still sold the “last 10 units,” one-bedrooms from about $207,000. NovaCare and Shap’s Corner Luncheonette held the Spring Garden shops in the early condo years — Shap’s in the old White Tower bay. Later permits cover roof cell antennas (2008–11), removal of a roof water-tank base (2019), another NovaCare interior (2024), and a façade restoration (2026).

Sources: period Inquirer, Evening Public Ledger, and Daily News (1909–2007); Bell Telephone white and yellow pages and later business listings (USRA Construction; Spectra Engineering, 6th floor); Philadelphia Fed Cascade (August 1989) for Neighborhood Housing Services at suite 601; City of Philadelphia Atlas / Department of Records (parcel 003N200215, 67 condos) and L&I permits for 511–19 N Broad; Department of Records street photos; Watson & Huckel drawings at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania (Bc 615/W 331a); Joseph M. Huston’s 1920 Spring Garden bird’s-eye at the Library of Congress; Philadelphia Architects and Buildings. Reverse (address) telephone directories for this block are not fully online — Free Library Newspaper & Microfilm Center holds Philadelphia Address Telephone Directories, 1927–1969, and Cole’s reverse directories, 1973–2007.

Where we sit

Northwest Spring Garden

N Broad St

Northeast Poplar

Spring Garden St

Southwest Logan Square

N Broad St

Southeast — 511 Callowhill
This building

Broad Street runs north–south. Spring Garden Street runs east–west. We are the southeast corner.

Pictures and clips

Photos and newspaper clips in date order. Same-year pictures are grouped so this page stays short — click a group and flip through. Filter by type or chapter; the bar stays put as you scroll.

Odd Fellows’ Hall

Mid-1800s lithograph of Odd Fellows’ Broadway Hall on the southeast corner of Broad and Spring Garden. — Photo **Mid-1800s — Odd Fellows’ Broadway Hall** The Independent Order of Odd Fellows hall that stood on this corner. Lithograph by L.N. Rosenthal after J.C. Trautwine; published by James P. Kern.

1909 — the Odd Fellows sale to Henry C. Lea and plans for the ten-story tower — 4 pictures in this group — 4 clips **1909 — the Odd Fellows sale to Henry C. Lea and plans for the ten-story tower** 4 clips from 1909. Mostly the Odd Fellows sale to Henry C. Lea. Also plans for the ten-story tower.

The Lea Building goes up

1910–11 — how this tower was drawn — 3 pictures in this group — 3 photos **1910–11 — how this tower was drawn** The 1911 presentation rendering of this corner, then Watson & Huckel job 287 sheets 4 and 5: Broad Street toward Nectarine, and the Spring Garden façade with the main entrance and fire-tower stair (HSP Bc 615/W 331a).

1910 — the extra Spring Garden lot and Roydhouse, Arey putting the tower up — 2 pictures in this group — 2 clips **1910 — the extra Spring Garden lot and Roydhouse, Arey putting the tower up** 2 clips from 1910. Includes the extra Spring Garden lot and Roydhouse, Arey putting the tower up.

Auto row and the lofts

1912–1914 — Diamond Tires at 519, Electric Tachometer, and more — 11 pictures in this group — 11 clips **1912–1914 — Diamond Tires at 519, Electric Tachometer, and more** 11 clips from 1912–1914. Includes Diamond Tires at 519, Electric Tachometer, Goodrich at 519, and loft help-wanted ads.

1916–1919 — Goodrich at 519, Lincoln Silk on 9, and more — 25 pictures in this group — 25 clips **1916–1919 — Goodrich at 519, Lincoln Silk on 9, and more** 25 clips from 1916–1919. Mostly Goodrich at 519. Also Lincoln Silk on 9, Jacob Reed’s Sons upstairs, and loft help-wanted ads.

1920 bird’s-eye drawing of Spring Garden Street looking toward a proposed Delaware River Bridge, with Broad Street in the foreground. — Photo **1920 — Spring Garden toward a proposed river bridge** Joseph M. Huston (with Stanford B. Lewis and J. A. L. Waddell): this ten-story corner sits in the foreground at Broad and Spring Garden. The Delaware River Bridge later opened on Vine Street, not Spring Garden. Library of Congress, G3824.P5A35 1920 .H8.

1920–1924 — loft help-wanted ads, the P. M. & E. trade school, and more — 21 pictures in this group — 21 clips **1920–1924 — loft help-wanted ads, the P. M. & E. trade school, and more** 21 clips from 1920–1924. Includes loft help-wanted ads, the P. M. & E. trade school, McClintock Tire at 517, and Victory Knitting.

1925–26 — this Broad Street frontage — 2 pictures in this group — 2 photos **1925–26 — this Broad Street frontage** Two city photos of this façade: looking south from Spring Garden at Central Trust and the tire shop, then looking north along Broad with subway timber in the street.

1925–1929 — Sydmaur Uniform on 10, Cosmos Finance, and more — 10 pictures in this group — 10 clips **1925–1929 — Sydmaur Uniform on 10, Cosmos Finance, and more** 10 clips from 1925–1929. Includes Sydmaur Uniform on 10, Cosmos Finance, loft help-wanted ads, and SAFE. tires at 511.

Finance, Red Cross, and the sidewalk

1930–1931 — Bankers Auto / Bankers Finance and Central Trust — 4 pictures in this group — 4 clips **1930–1931 — Bankers Auto / Bankers Finance and Central Trust** 4 clips from 1930–1931. Mostly Bankers Auto / Bankers Finance. Also Central Trust.

1938 — Red Cross headquarters — 2 pictures in this group — 2 clips **1938 — Red Cross headquarters** 2 clips from 1938. Includes Red Cross headquarters.

April 1941 looking north on Broad Street with 511 on the right and a subway kiosk in the intersection. — Photo **April 4, 1941 — looking north on Broad** 511 on the right, Spring Garden subway kiosk in the intersection. City of Philadelphia, Department of Records.

1942–1944 — Red Cross headquarters, Electric Tachometer, and more — 9 pictures in this group — 9 clips **1942–1944 — Red Cross headquarters, Electric Tachometer, and more** 9 clips from 1942–1944. Mostly Red Cross headquarters. Also Electric Tachometer and Cosmos Finance.

Red Cross Motor Corps volunteers and ambulances lined up in front of 511 N Broad in November 1942. — Photo **November 1942 — Red Cross Motor Corps** Volunteers and ambulances staged in front of 511. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter had opened headquarters in this building in 1938.

1945–1949 — Red Cross headquarters, Yawn School of Photography, and more — 14 pictures in this group — 14 clips **1945–1949 — Red Cross headquarters, Yawn School of Photography, and more** 14 clips from 1945–1949. Includes Red Cross headquarters, Yawn School of Photography, Pearlman’s appliances, and Royal Typewriter.

September 1949 photograph of the southeast corner sidewalk at Broad and Spring Garden. — Photo **September 21, 1949 — this sidewalk** City caption: “S.E. cor. Broad & Spring Garden Sts.” Storefronts of 511 at left. City of Philadelphia, Department of Records.

Offices through 2006

1950–1954 — Royal Typewriter, Burroughs labs, and more — 6 pictures in this group — 6 clips **1950–1954 — Royal Typewriter, Burroughs labs, and more** 6 clips from 1950–1954. Includes Royal Typewriter, Burroughs labs, Pearlman’s appliances, and Yellow Cab.

1956–1958 — Burroughs labs — 5 pictures in this group — 5 clips **1956–1958 — Burroughs labs** 5 clips from 1956–1958. Mostly Burroughs labs.

1960–1964 — William Penn Business Institute, Omnitronics on 3, and more — 6 pictures in this group — 6 clips **1960–1964 — William Penn Business Institute, Omnitronics on 3, and more** 6 clips from 1960–1964. Includes William Penn Business Institute, Omnitronics on 3, S. L. Graves printing, and Yellow Cab.

May 1962 — sidewalk, kiosk, White Tower — 5 pictures in this group — 5 photos **May 1962 — sidewalk, kiosk, White Tower** Five city photos from the same day. White Tower Hamburgers on Broad (later Shap’s), the 511 door and lunch counter, the Spring Garden subway kiosk, and the Nectarine corner.

1965–1967 — Omnitronics on 3 and General Electric — 2 pictures in this group — 2 clips **1965–1967 — Omnitronics on 3 and General Electric** 2 clips from 1965–1967. Includes Omnitronics on 3 and General Electric.

Clip **September 19, 1975 — Inquirer** Photograph looking south at Broad and Spring Garden: a day-care funding protest fills the intersection. This building is on the left — White Tower Hamburgers on the Broad storefront, the shop that later became Shap’s.

1988–1989 — Phila Water Resources and the 1989 office restoration — 2 pictures in this group — 2 clips **1988–1989 — Phila Water Resources and the 1989 office restoration** 2 clips from 1988–1989. Includes Phila Water Resources and the 1989 office restoration.

1993–1994 — Liberty Academy of Business and LSMS — 4 pictures in this group — 4 clips **1993–1994 — Liberty Academy of Business and LSMS** 4 clips from 1993–1994. Mostly Liberty Academy of Business. Also LSMS.

1995–1998 — Liberty Academy of Business, Neighborhood Housing Services, and more — 4 pictures in this group — 4 clips **1995–1998 — Liberty Academy of Business, Neighborhood Housing Services, and more** 4 clips from 1995–1998. Includes Liberty Academy of Business, Neighborhood Housing Services, and Youth Opportunities Philadelphia.

Homes from 2007

Clip **March 3, 2007 — Inquirer** 511 Condominium Residences: last 10 units; one-bedrooms from about $207,000.

Condo years — Spring Garden storefronts — 2 pictures in this group — 2 photos **Condo years — Spring Garden storefronts** Two street views after the 2007 conversion: striped awnings, then the green 511 canopy with NovaCare and Shap’s Corner Luncheonette in the old White Tower bay.

Aerial photograph of 511 N Broad at Broad and Spring Garden from the southeast. — Photo **Recent — from the southeast** The full ten-story corner: Broad to the left, Spring Garden along the front, fire escapes on Nectarine.

Who was here

On the street (511–519, one building): Diamond Rubber, B. F. Goodrich, McClintock Tire, SAFE., Bankers Auto / Bankers Finance, Central Trust, Pearlman’s appliances, White Tower Hamburgers (1960s–70s, later Shap’s Corner Luncheonette), NovaCare.

Upstairs: Electric Tachometer; Jacob Reed uniforms; Lincoln, Victory, and Superior knitting; Sydmaur Uniform; King Card; P. M. & E. trade school; Cosmos Finance; West Electric Hair Curler; Red Cross chapter headquarters (six floors by 1945); Yawn School of Photography; Royal Typewriter; Office Equipment Repair School; W. O’Brien Motor Carriers Exchange; Burroughs labs; Yellow Cab; William Penn Business Institute; S. L. Graves printing; I. J. Morgan records; Omnitronics; General Electric; Phila Water Resources; USRA Construction; Spectra Engineering (6th); Liberty Academy; LSMS; Neighborhood Housing Services (suite 601 / 4th); Youth Opportunities Philadelphia.

The architects were Frank Rushmore Watson and Samuel Huckel Jr. (Watson & Huckel, 1902–1917). Drawings are at HSP, call number Bc 615/W 331a. A December 1989 office ad was the last big commercial refresh. The condo parcel dates from 13 December 2005 (67 units); L&I occupancy on the upper floors followed in early 2007. Zoning today is CMX-4; the building is not a designated historic site.

Street photos credit City of Philadelphia, Department of Records. Watson & Huckel biography · Henry Charles Lea papers, Penn