Trolley Car Cafe Breaks Ground at the Bathey, East Falls

On Thursday, November 12, a ground breaking ceremony was held to announce the beginning of construction on Trolley Car Café in the East Falls section of Philadelphia (on South Ferry Road at Kelly Drive). Mayor Michael Nutter, Congressman Chaka Fattah, Councilman Curtis Jones and City Commissioner of Parks and Recreation Mike DiBerardinis were on hand to celebrate this economic development project that has been in the works for the past three years.

The Bathey House project is the culmination of a cooperative agreement between Fairmount Park Historic Preservation Trust, East Falls Development Corporation and, the developer, Brinton Partners. With funding from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, the William Penn Foundation, the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Schuykill River Heritage Area, The Schuylkill Project, City of Philadelphia Commerce Department, The Reinvestment Fund and The Merchant’s Fund, the Bathey House will house Trolley Car Café, a bike/in line skate rental facility and the East Falls Gateway Center.

According to Fairmount Park Historic Preservation Trust Executive Director Lucy Strackhouse, “We are excited to have the Mayor join us for this important ground breaking event. The renovation of Fairmount Park’s Bathey House into a community gathering spot is an important step forward for our City.”

Bathey House, originally built as a bath house and changing room for a municipal swimming pool that once existed in the rear of the property, was identified 13 years ago as a visible gateway to the East Falls business community. Approximately 70,000 commuters on a daily basis make their way through East Falls from the suburbs as well as other Philadelphia neighborhoods.

“We have been working for many years to find a suitable tenant for Bathey House,” explained East Falls Development Corporation Executive Director Gina Snyder. “Trolley Car Café will be a wonderful addition to East Falls, bringing potential customers and energy to our business district.”

Bathey House, vacant for nearly 40 years, is badly deteriorated and structurally unsound. More than $625,000 will be spent to completely restore this property into a restaurant and bike rental facility. Trolley Car Café is expected to open for business April 2010.

“This project is a model of how to make community development happen,” said Bob Kaufman of Brinton Partners which signed a 30 year lease on the property. “We could not have saved this building and produced jobs for the community without the help of East Falls Development Corporation, Fairmount Park Trust and the many funders involved.”

Trolley Car Diner & Deli is located at 7619 Germantown Avenue in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia. Now in its 10th year of operation and housed in a formerly vacant Roy Rogers building, Trolley Car Diner & Deli currently employees 60 full and part time employees. Trolley Car Café, expected to produce 10 new jobs for local residents, will be the second location for this business.