Sketches of Philadelphia in 1861:

Watercolors by Taylor

1727, 1725, and 1723 Street, Philadelphia, PA (left to right).

Watercolor by Taylor (1861). Image courtesy of Winterthur Library.

1727 Market Street was owned by Elam F. Witmer, a forwarding and commission merchant, as early as 1850. Witmer sold the property to dry good merchants Edward Pugh and George Colke in 1866. Pugh and Colket also purchased properties at 1727, 1729, 1730, 1731 Market Street. By 1880, Edward Pugh and George Colket had conveyed the property to Nathan Brooke and Caffin Colket. In 1881, the property was sold to Frederick Lovejoy who sold it to William Hassell Wilson in 1882. Wilson then sold the property to Richard D. Barclay in 1886, and the Pennsylvania Railroad Company purchased the property later that same year.

During the time that Elam Witmer owned the property (1850-1866), the building housed a saddle and harness making business, which changed ownership several times. Witmer himself may have occupied the space, as city directories occasionally give his address as 1727 Market Street. When Pugh and Colket purchased the property in 1866, it was consolidated with three adjacent lots, and a five-story flour and grain warehouse was built on the property. The warehouse was demolished by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company around 1890 to make way for the new freight station and depot.

The 1861 Taylor watercolor depicts the property when the lot was owned by Elam Witmer and the saddle and harnessmaking business was operated by David Longwell. According to the 1860 Hexamer Atlas, the building was a two-story frame dwelling and store.

Timeline of 1727 Market Street

Maps of 1700 Block of Market Street

Images from Businesses along the 1700 Block of Market Street

Images of Pennsylvania Railroad Company Development along the 1700 Block of Market Street