Photos courtesy of Cpt. Cranky
Location: 4675 River Road, Pennausken NJ
The abandoned Pennsauken Acme. Closing date unknown. Exact opening date unknown but we'll see the store under construction as of 1970 in the historical aerial shots. Pennsauken had an Acme at 4900 Westfield Ave store which closed in March of 1968. That Acme is unrecognizable today. Even has a barrel roof which may indicate that Acme took over the location from another company. The former Acme seen here is the "Colonial Cottage" model which was built in the late 60's and early 70's. A relatively short lived model of Acme as it appeared towards the end of the pitched-roof era and just prior to the 33M models of the 70's and early 80's. Other examples of this model include the former Acme in Belmar and the "World's Most Classic Acme" in Manasquan.
Built in the very edge of town (in the upper left-hand corner). Very similar in style and location to the Port Reading store.
Yet again, Acme prepared for massive crowds at this store. Parking for 320 cars! (It's true, I counted.)
Historical aerials...
2002
1995
The Pennsauken Acme appears to have been open in 1995.
1970
Under construction as of 1970.
From above it could be mistaken for a late 50's store with the canopy extending over the left side of the building. I wonder what made Acme think there was a need for such a huge parking lot? It looks like something you'd find at the Magic Kingdom, almost large enough to have individually-named sections.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you counted all those parking spots! LOL!
ReplyDeleteThe intent was to build a "strip mall" as tenants warranted, but it really was a poor location. The only patrons you would get were from the Cramer Hill section of Camden, and that local area of Pennsauken.
I remember getting down there once on my bike when I was a teenager around 1975. I never would have guessed that the store had only been there for a few years, it looked old and weird even then. Sitting way back from the road in the middle of a residential/industrial area with no other retail around and not many cars in the parking lot created sort of a "haunted house" effect.
ReplyDeleteOther long-gone Acmes in this general vicinity: they had a very old, very small store on Park Avenue in Merchantville that closed by the early '70s. It was renovated into office space and is not recognizable as a supermarket from the street. They also had a store on Marlton Pike in Camden that lasted into the early '80s and appears to still be in use as an independent supermarket.
I lived in Pennsauken most of my life but never had the chance to see the acme open. I live not far from there now and have always wondered what that building was and why it shut down. I also have to wonder if the placement of this acme had anything to do with Petty island and the idea of it being turned into a community. The entrance to Petty island is only a few streets down.....
ReplyDeleteSoon to be history...
ReplyDeleteVeterans Will Soon Benefit From A New Townhome Community In Camden County
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/video/9998014-veterans-will-soon-benefit-from-a-new-townhome-community-in-camden-county/
Store has been demolished. R.I.P.
ReplyDeleteI would guess this was closed in the late 1990s/early 2000s under Albertsons.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that the Acme on River Road in Pennsauken?
ReplyDeleteYes
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