{"nrhp_refnum":"02000071","name":"Smyser and English Pharmacy","other_names":["Leedom &amp","Wissler Pharmacy"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"245-247 W. Chelten Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":40.030630330000065,"lon":-75.18022798999993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-02-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Health/Medicine","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick Queen Anne pharmacy building with a residence above at 245-247 West Chelten Avenue, on the northeast corner of Chelten Avenue and Pulaski Street in Germantown, Philadelphia. Constructed 1886-1887 by local builder J.D. Caldwell, with a c.1920 one-register addition at 245.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is significant under Criterion A in Health/Medicine as an early neighborhood branch pharmacy that reflects the professionalization of pharmacy in Philadelphia. It is also significant under Criterion C as a fine example of the late 19th-century urban pharmacy building type and its highly ornamented architecture tied to consumer merchandising.","narrative":"Built in 1886-1887 by Germantown builder J.D. Caldwell, this three-story brick building at the corner of Chelten Avenue and Pulaski Street combined a ground-floor pharmacy with a residence above for the pharmacist. Its Queen Anne design includes pressed brick, terra cotta rosettes, wood brackets, and a sandstone and brownstone trim, with a c.1920 addition at 245 mirroring the original facade. Its interior retains a tile floor, mahogany cabinets, dispensary shelves, and parts of its decorative plaster ceiling. The store was founded as a branch of George M. Smyser's Main Street pharmacy and was run by licensed graduates of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. It is regarded as an early example of a neighborhood branch pharmacy and of the purpose-built pharmacy type, and it remained in pharmacy use until 1997. The building is significant for its link to the professionalization of pharmacy in Philadelphia and for its architecture.","period_of_significance":"c.1886-1950","architect_builder":"J.D. Caldwell (builder)","architectural_style":"Late Victorian: Queen Anne","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Retains integrity; the storefront and interiors have been altered, but the ground-floor pharmacy use is continuous with its historic function. The pharmacy business closed in 1997 when it was sold to a chain pharmacy.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:37.838872-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/02000071.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02000071/43be018c4d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02000071/43be018c4d-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:English_Pharmacy_Phiily.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:English_Pharmacy_Phiily.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"72001151","name":"Fairmount Park","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/fairmount-park-72001151/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997482","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smyser_and_English_Pharmacy","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7546753"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/smyser-and-english-pharmacy-02000071/"}