Madison has started work at the site of the former National Products building in Philadelphia’s historic Old City District, providing foundation work and concrete slabs. After sitting mostly vacant for two decades, the art deco landmark is being transformed into a six-story apartment building.
The National Products building, known for its orange glazed-tile Art Moderne facade and stainless-steel signs, had sat mostly vacant since 1996, when it was shuttered by the family that had owned it for nearly seven decades. Since then, Philadelphia’s Historical Commission approved at least five residential proposals for the site, though none had taken root until recently. The current plan, as required by the Historical Commission, calls for the recreation of the now-demolished building’s orange facade and the replacement of its original signage lettering. The requirement is intended to preserve the neighborhood’s heritage not just as a Colonial city, but also as home to 19th-century warehouses and early 20th-century distribution stores like National Products.