Lord & Taylor building (Bala Cynwyd), 1955 – 2024

The classic Mid-Century Modern Lord & Taylor building in Bala Cynwyd, PA, was demolished earlier this summer, after sitting empty for several years (the Lord & Taylor chain, formed in 1826, went out of business in 2021). The Bala Cynwyd branch was quite a big deal when it opened—the height of post-war architecture and interior design, it was sleek, bright and airy, containing The Bird Cage restaurant (little old lady food) and the Jean Madeline hair salon, as well as two stories of the well-made, quietly tasteful clothing (men’s and ladies’) popular on the Main Line. Despite pleas from locals and architectural preservationists, the building was demolished by Federal Realty, which plans to build a large apartment complex on the site. Mark Brennan of Federal Realty cited “the lack of lease-ability for a 1960s-era [sic] department store.” Frank Matero, a University of Pennsylvania professor of architecture, noted sadly that “The buildings of the post-World War II years are now prime targets for removal because they are technically obsolete and somewhat out of fashion. They are in that awkward teenage phase – no longer an adolescent and not quite an adult.”