Original Grocery Tenant: A&P
Address: 1841 S 4th St, Allentown, PA
Address: 1841 S 4th St, Allentown, PA
Opened: 1956
Closed: 1982
Later Tenants: Hersh's IGA (1982-1990) > subdivided
Photographed: January 8, 2021
Just around the corner from yesterday's Superfood is this former A&P. It was constructed in the 1960s as an A&P centennial, then closed in 1982 when it was sold to Hersh's IGA. In 1990, Hersh's merged with Traub's IGA which was in what is now the Superfood, and closed this location. Traub's later sold to Valley Farm Market and then they sold to Superfood. Here's my source on that history. Don't forget the name Hersh's, by the way, we'll be seeing more of them as we pass through Allentown. A&P and ACME were direct competitors for a very long time and this location was no different, with a former ACME just up the street. That one, however, is still a supermarket, and we're going to check it out tomorrow on The Market Report!
This A&P opened on December 19, 1956 and was actually not constructed as a Centennial. According to historic aerial views, it appears that a Centennial facade was placed on the building sometime between 1962 and 1972. A&P actually did a very convincing job in retrofitting the building with a Centennial front, as I would not have guessed that the supermarket opened before the Centennial Era. However, I am not a fan of the way the building currently looks, as I think the subsequent changes made to it (particularly the metal roof and metal awning) are ugly.
ReplyDeleteThis particular A&P did not last until 1982 but instead closed in either 1973 or 1974. A 2/14/73 ad in The Morning Call does mention the chain's location at 1841 South 4th Street in Allentown. But per a 10/3/75 Morning Call article, this building became a Shop-Well supermarket in November 1974. I believe that by the end of 1975, the only A&P still operating in Allentown was the Centennial supermarket at 1901 Hamilton Street. That store opened on 9/28/65, closed on 3/22/82, and reopened as a Thriftway on 6/16/82. Per an August 2019 street view on Google Maps, the former 1901 Hamilton Street A&P appears to be operating as a medical center.
--A&P Fan
A&P Fan, thanks for sharing this history!
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