They Say The Incandescent Lights Are Bright…

Apollo

I am in the March issue of Philadelphia Magazine or actually my work is. Somebody over at the magazine was trawling the internet looking for places and things in the City of Brotherly Love that just aren’t there any more. A photo editor came across my Flickr Photostream and found this image that I shot back in 1982. They needed something for an article about how the city has turned around since the depths of the 1970s and figured this was the perfect picture. Emails flew back and forth and now my work is in Philadelphia Magazine!

This was Market Street, a stone’s throw from City Hall. This was the city I would see as I got off of the bus to go to art school. Seedy. Dirty. Corrupt. Everything I wanted from a city. I think I went into that arcade once seeing if they had any games that the arcades on Chestnut Street didn’t have. It was pretty scary and once was enough. I kept expecting Travis Bickle to waltz in. When Travis walks in, it’s time to go!

I’m pretty sure it’s a parking lot now.

This entry was posted in Blast from the Past, Curious Clutter, News, Philadelphia, Photography, The Photo Elective and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

6 Responses to They Say The Incandescent Lights Are Bright…

  1. paul zdepski says:

    “Disinfected Daily!” – Ah, the Philly I remember so well. Great news about the serendipitous Philly Mag inclusion! Way to go!

  2. Joe Williams says:

    Thanks, Paul!

  3. Ferrell Gummitt says:

    Did they shoot some of the scenes for “12 Monkeys” there? Kind of looks like it…

  4. Joe Williams says:

    It’s been a while since, I’ve seen Twelve Monkeys so I’m not sure. I thought these buildings were gone by the time that film was being made.

    The office above the Apollo with the film reel in the window was used in Brian DePalma’s Blowout.

  5. Bill says:

    I loved that place. In addition to the porno theater upstairs, there was a set of stairs to the left of McDonalds that led to a book store and a section where they had hot girls in booths. You would go into a booth facing the one they were in and pay them to talk dirty to you and play with themselves, separated by a sheet of glass.

  6. Joe Williams says:

    Thanks for commenting.

    I got as far as the arcade and maybe the McDonald’s.

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