Winter 2008: Construction Update

Our shop's facade is getting quite a makeover! We're adding a deck and replacing the missing railing on the balcony, which will hold several tables and offer coffee-drinkers lovely views of the Broad Street Market across the street and the State Capitol, a few blocks to the south. There will also be a dramatic neon "MIDTOWN" marquee sign that recalls the building's original days as a neighborhood movie theater in the 1920s, '30s, and '40s.

We've been learning fascinating things about the building's history. Local residents remember seeing second-run films as children at the "Broad Street Theater", where it cost just a dime for those under 12, later raised to a dime and a penny. Before the show, viewers could buy penny candies to enjoy while watching the movie. To our surprise, we have discovered that the walls and much of the roof-structure of the building still date to the 1920s. As we repaired the walls, we uncovered the markings from the theater's angled side panels, with remnants of the curtains that once lined the walls! As folks remember it, the projection room at the front of the building burned in the late '40s or early '50s.

Then, in 1955, Mr. Greenberg established a "Boston Store" on the premises, copying the design of the landmark Chicago "Boston Store" of the day. (Tucked in an upper corner, we found a shopping bag with the building's new facade on it. The previous owner had also saved the 1955 architectural blueprints!) Greenberg redesigned the interior to include a shopper-friendly, multi-level structure with snazzy terrazzo floors, spiffy '50s-modern railings, and funky aluminum spotlights (all still extant).

Our renovations make the most of this unusual space - unusually large for the city today. Outdoor cafe seating will be sheltered by the overhanging marquee. As you walk inside, you'll find an elegant coffee-bar (locals may recognize its elaborate woodwork from the former Hayden's on Pine, downtown), with tall tables arrayed in front of the large plate glass windows, and other tables nearby. To the left, winding alcoves will house our Fiction and Literature collections - as is only appropriate for the new "Famous Reading Cafe." To the right, a large stage will occupy the center of the main floor, with towering shelves featuring Biographies behind it. Along one side, an antique staircase (marble and iron treads salvaged from a 19th-century Baltimore hotel) will ascend to the new "Yellow Wall Gallery" with changing art exhibits, an upper-level coffee lounge, access to the balcony, and a second stage that will be perfect for intimate concerts or informal gatherings like book groups and poetry readings.

Above you will range a dozen skylights, lending the charm of a "cathedral of learning" to the used bookstore. Stained glass will be incorporated throughout the building's interior, including a turn-of-the-last-century English "Bookseller's" sign that will mark the entrance to our new Rare Books and Pennsylvaniana room. From the main level, you can go up a half-flight of stairs to our extraordinary Art section, or down a half-flight to American studies. On the lowermost level, dense stacks will house European and World History, Science, Religion, and other scholarly works in all fields. Finally, we have added a new mezzanine level along the building's south side, the ideal spot for sipping coffee while enjoying the Music, Drama, Poetry, or Cultural Studies books arrayed nearby.

The contractors have repaired the roof, girded the trusses, installed the skylights, framed the new interior structures, begun updating the electrical and plumbing systems, and ordered the large quantity of wood needed for the many bookshelves. We expect the construction work to be completed this winter, and then we'll begin bringing in the books! Meanwhile, we will soon be announcing our selection of a premier, award-winning roaster, who will provide that most essential thing: the finest-quality beans for the Famous Reading Cafe.