Chelten Grille

The Route 52 Trolley went past the Chelten Grille at 2100 East Chelten Avenue, which is about 5 miles from the intersection of Midvale and Ridge Avenues in this photograph.

Route 52 Trolley at Midvale and Ridge Avenues. Circa 1950s. Posted by Carl Manley.

The Route 52 trolley line on Chelten Avenue went past the Chelten Grille. Anecdotal reports are that it was a popular 'stop' late in the day for workers returning home. The trolley tracks on Chelten Avenue are presumably gone so there is little hope that Route 52 will run again.

SEPTA delays rollout of historic green-and-cream trolleys — Axios Philadelphia SEPTA has delayed the rollout of its 1940s-era trolleys. Why it matters: Riders are itching to ride the vintage green-and-cream streetcars but the transit agency's PCC II trolleys won't welcome passengers along Route 15 until at least the spring, spokesperson Andrew Busch tells Axios.

Route 52 on Chelten Avenue went through the 21st street intersection at the Chelten Grille, which was a popular stop for workers returning home. The Editor of my article about the Chelten Grille at the Germantown Historical Society provided the following description of the Route 52 trolley:
"According to a 1948 transportation map of Philadelphia, Route 52 took the following route: Started at Old York Road and Chelten Avenue, then followed Chelten Avenue past the Grille, continued on Chelten Avenue through Germantown Avenue, then made a left onto Wayne Avenue, then a right onto Coulter Street- then a short jog onto Midvale Avenue by Queen Lane station/ Wissahickon Avenue, then down Midvale Avenue to its terminus at Ridge Avenue in East Falls."

This photograph of car 5205 by Joseph M. Mannix on Chelten Avenue near the York Road end of Route 52 in Philadelphia shows a modernized 5205 with the simplified Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC) paint scheme. Circa 1950s.

Chelten Grille updated their information in their About section.

2100 East Chelten Avenue has gained a second floor! The shape is the same as the first floor, the windows are similar, but it does not appear to have a second floor entrance above 21st Street. So, at least one of the two original stairwells was opened to the new second floor, which was how the building was originally designed as a duplex ... 2100 and 2102 East Chelten Avenue.

Another aerial view of 2100 East Chelten Avenue (red map pin right of center) clearly showing wood framing against the second floor "party wall" with 2102 East Chelten Avenue and other evidence of construction. One obvious question ... how to gain access to the second floor? There had to be a staircase when the building was built early in the last century, but was the stairwell preserved ... or was it blocked?

This highly-detailed aerial view of the neighborhood between Medary and East Chelten Avenues and North Norwood and North Lambert Streets surrounding the Chelten Grille was taken when it was in disrepair and likely derelict ... presumably for non-payment of property taxes. It is obvious that it is a one-story building as the adjacent property (2102 East Chelten Avenue) is two. If recent reports from the Germantown Historical Society are accurate, we should expect to see a new second story under construction on 2100 adjacent to 2102 East Chelten Avenue.

The "GoogleMobile" photograph of 2100 E. Chelten Avenue features new awnings and repainted stucco, but no evidence of the recently-added second floor. Are those tree planters along 21st?

The Germantown Historical Society confirmed that 2100 East Chelten Avenue has gained a second floor! It is framed and stucco is being applied, plus it appears the entire building is getting a facelift. The attached is the earliest photo of this upgrade, but a lot has changed since them.

Please confirm these improvements and post a photo so we don't need to wait for the return of the GoogleMobile ... thanks!

The Google Mobile took this photograph of 2100 East Chelten Avenue from 21st Street in the Summer of 2018. The doorway is the same, but the thermometer on the door frame is gone and a ladder is leaning against the wall.

Restaurant kitchens are hot places to work and are often simply ventilated rather than air conditioned. This doorway was presumably left open for ventilation and deliveries from trucks parked on 21st Street.

Although the door is on the south side of the building it is shaded by the adjacent property and trees, which made it a gathering spot for the kitchen and wait staff and for smoke breaks!

Through the courtesy of John B. Barber we have a photograph reliably dated to 1937 of Chef Ducky and John's Aunt Franny Barber. They are standing by the kitchen door looking east towards 21st Street, i.e., the photographer is looking west across the backyards of 2102, 2104, 2106, etc. along the south side of East Chelten Avenue toward Norwood Street.

The Germantown Historical Society (GHS) published this article about the history of 2100 East Chelten Avenue with emphasis on the Chelten Grille in the Germantown Crier, the seasonal publication of the GHS. You are welcome to post comments on any page or you may contact the author using the information in the final paragraph.

Can you imagine a time when there would be only one car parked on 21st Street? Can you imagine a time when a woman would be walking unaccompanied on 21st Street?

These "then and now" photographs show how much has changed. The west side of 21st Street south of Chelten Avenue is routinely lined with cars, but when the Chelten Grille was opened the only car on the street was parked by the 21st street entrance. The trees are bigger, but there seems to be fewer of them ... perhaps some had to be removed.