PHILADELPHIA HOME

Year Built: 1766 (original theater)

Era: 18th Century

Original Architect: Unknown

Renovation Dates:

• 1821: Destroyed by Fire

• 1823: Taylor Distillery erected

• 1921: Distillery demolished as part of prohibition

• Current: 6 dwelling units with commercial at ground floor

Architectural Style: Unknown

Historical: N/A

History

This building may not be much to look at now, but it was the original site of the very first theater house in Philadelphia and also housed a very well-known whiskey distillery for over 100 years.

Southwark Theater (1766-1821) 

In a city founded by Quakers, a very devout religious group, it will come as no surprise to hear that theater was considered extremely controversial. A man by the name of Lewis Hallam initially dipped his toe into the theatrical waters of Philadelphia in 1754, giving their first performance in a warehouse near water Street after a storm of controversy that was even taken to Governor Hamilton to protest the performances. To help quell the extremely vocal disapproval, they passed out propaganda highlighting the benefits of the theatrical arts and even offered to donate a portion of their proceeds wo the Charitable School of the Academy (now the University of Pennsylvania).

5 years later, Hallam’s widow returned with her new husband, David Douglass. They had rebranded the name of the performance troupe to “The American Company” and selected a site JUST outside the city limits of Philadelphia where they constructed their permanent theater house in 1766 after a series of impermanent theater structures were used to again test the waters.

Despite the vehement protests of every religious group in the city, the plain building they erected, a rough-hewn wood painted a vibrant red color, garnered enormous crowds and was regularly frequented by George Washington himself. Ticket prices ranged from 3-7 shillings depending on the seating location. Many shows were structured with a variety of performances including monologues, songs, dances, and acrobatic feats.

During the Revolutionary War, frivolous entertainments were banned, being reinstated only briefly during the British occupation between 1777-1778 and only being open to British sympathizers.

The theater suffered terribly during the war, but also operated illegally in order to make ends meet.  In 1794, a large new theater was built closer to the center of town. The success of the new theater eventually drove the Southwark out of business and they closed their doors in 1821 after a fire partially destroyed the building.

Alexander Young Distillery (1823-1921)

After the fire destroyed the theater in 1821, John Maitland constructed a rye whiskey distillery on the same site. It was founded as Maitland & Young, later to become the Alexander Young Distillery in 1847 upon the death of W.J. Maitland.

Alexander Young, had come from Ireland, first working at the J.W. Dover distillery on the Schuylkill river before opening his own operation on Fifth and Alaska and later partnering with John Maitland. When W.J. Maitland died in 1847, Alexander immediately enlarged the plant. At the time of his death in 1884, the entire operation could house 6,800 barrels of whiskey. His sons took over the business, expanding the operation even further to accommodate another 7,000 barrels of whiskey by 1891. At that time, they were producing not only rye whiskey, but also corn and wheat whiskies as well with an artesian well on site to provide the purest of water for their production.

Their brand “Y.P.M.” (Young’s Pure Malt) became well recognized and still turn up at local antique fairs.

The distillery seems to have operated as a family business long after Alexander passed. One source cited prohibition as the death knell of the company around the 1920’s, but we continue to search for documents.

Current

The Alexander Young Distillery spanned almost the entire block between 4th and E. Passyunk Avenue on South Street. Perhaps remnants of the buildings remain, but have been covered up with time. It does appear some of the vinyl siding may correspond to historic window openings. The prominent corner address at South and Leithgow currently houses a commercial retailer at the ground floor with residential space above.

Local artist, Isaiah Zagar sparked an art renaissance throughout South Philadelphia, working with the community to install a series of murals throughout the neighborhood. Each mural tells a story in glass, tile, and other media. Seven of his murals adorn the east facing wall of our property and continue across the alley onto the adjacent building as well. Additional information about his work can be found on his website, The Eye's Gallery. 

We have not found any documents related to the construction of the buildings currently at the site of the former Alexander Young Distillery. If you have any information, we’d love for you to share it with us!

Building Materials

• Brick

• Vinyl Siding

• Glass and Tile Mosaics

• Mixed media mosaics