Lit Brothers
Lit Brothers is a historic department store complex on Market Street East whose ornate cast-iron facades represent one of Philadelphia's finest examples of commercial Victorian architecture. Built in stages between 1859 and 1907, the complex occupies an entire city block between 7th and 8th Streets, with cast-iron storefronts and elaborate facades that create continuous visual richness along Market Street. Though the department store closed in 1977, the building has been adaptively reused for office and retail purposes, preserving its architectural character while serving contemporary commercial functions.[1]
Cast-Iron Architecture
[edit | edit source]The Lit Brothers building exemplifies the cast-iron commercial architecture that transformed American retail districts during the mid-nineteenth century. Cast iron allowed elaborate decorative facades to be mass-produced at costs below traditional carved stone, enabling merchants to create visually impressive storefronts that attracted customers and expressed commercial prosperity. The technology also allowed larger windows than load-bearing masonry permitted, flooding interiors with natural light that displayed merchandise to advantage. Lit Brothers' facades demonstrate these possibilities through columns, cornices, and decorative details that create rhythm and richness along the entire block.[2]
The complex grew through acquisition and construction over nearly fifty years, with different architects contributing sections that maintain overall coherence despite varied dates. Collins and Autenrieth designed key portions, creating facades that established the visual vocabulary subsequent additions would follow. The building's growth reflects the department store's expansion as it absorbed neighboring properties and extended its footprint. The resulting complex, though assembled piecemeal, presents unified character through consistent use of cast-iron ornament and compatible design approaches.[1]
Department Store Era
[edit | edit source]Lit Brothers department store served Philadelphia shoppers from 1893 until 1977, competing with Wanamaker's, Strawbridge & Clothier, and Gimbels for the city's retail trade. The store occupied multiple floors of the complex, with departments organized by merchandise category in the pattern that department stores nationwide adopted. Lit Brothers positioned itself as a value-oriented alternative to more prestigious competitors, attracting price-conscious shoppers who appreciated its Market Street East location. The store's longevity through depression, war, and suburban competition demonstrated the viability of urban retail during decades when many predicted its demise.[2]
The department store era's decline eventually reached Lit Brothers, which closed in 1977 amid the broader crisis affecting urban retail. Suburban malls drew customers away from downtown; demographic changes reduced the Market Street corridor's traditional customer base; and deferred maintenance accumulated as revenues declined. The closure left the building vacant and endangered, its cast-iron facades deteriorating while preservationists and developers debated its future. The building's survival was uncertain during the difficult years that followed closure.[1]
Preservation
[edit | edit source]The Lit Brothers building's preservation required sustained advocacy and creative financing that eventually produced successful adaptive reuse. Preservationists recognized the building's significance as one of America's most important cast-iron commercial structures, comparable to examples in New York's SoHo district that had attracted international attention. The National Register of Historic Places listing provided recognition that supported preservation arguments. Development proposals that would have demolished portions of the complex were eventually abandoned in favor of approaches that maintained the historic facades.[2]
The building now houses offices, retail spaces, and other commercial uses behind the preserved cast-iron facades. This adaptive reuse demonstrates that historic commercial buildings can serve contemporary purposes when their architectural character is maintained. The facades, restored and maintained, continue to provide visual interest along Market Street while interiors accommodate uses that Lit Brothers' founders could not have anticipated. The preservation represents both architectural success and urban planning achievement, maintaining continuity on a block that might otherwise have been redeveloped beyond recognition.[1]
Urban Context
[edit | edit source]The Lit Brothers building occupies a significant position within Market Street East, the commercial corridor that extends from City Hall toward Independence National Historical Park. The building's preservation maintains historic character in a district that urban renewal and contemporary development have significantly transformed. The Gallery at Market East (now Fashion District Philadelphia), immediately adjacent, represents the modernist approach to urban retail that planners promoted during the 1970s. The contrast between Lit Brothers' Victorian facades and the mall's enclosed spaces illustrates different eras' approaches to commercial architecture and urban design.[2]
Market Street East continues evolving, with recent development bringing residential and mixed-use projects that increase street-level activity. The Lit Brothers building's presence contributes historic character that new construction cannot replicate, anchoring the district's identity as development occurs around it. The building's survival ensures that some portion of Market Street's nineteenth-century commercial character remains visible, providing continuity with the retail district's origins even as its functions and demographics change.[1]