223 and 225 N. 34th St. (on the left)
during the construction
of Kelly Hall. Photo courtesy of Drexel University
Archives.
The
History of the Building
1895 Bromley Atlas shows this double.
1969: The houses on the east side of the 200 block of
34th St. were slated for condemnation and demolition by an agreement
between the Powelton Village Homeowners Association and the Philadelphia
Redevelopment Authority. (see Powelton Quarterly, vol 1(1);
pp 1 &3.)
For many years 223 and
2009: 223 and 225
became the site of Drexel’s Millennium Hall
dormitory.
Previous Residents
1900:
George E.
Fort 73 Cloth merchant; born in N.J.; owned free
of a mortgage
Sarah C. Fort 69 Married 50 years, four children; parents born in Alabama
George E. Fort 42 Cloth
merchant; single
Harry C. Fort 37 Cloth merchant; single
Alice Mellon 32 Chambermaid, born in Ireland
Kate Gallagher 24 Cook;
born in
He registered for the Civil War
draft when he was living at 1734 Green St. In 1880, they lived in Edgewater,
Burlington Co., N.J. In the 1895 Directory, they lived at 221
N 34th.
1905, Jan. 28: Death of George E. Fort
“George E. Fort, an old businessman
and member of the firm George E. For & Co., manufacturers of carriage
trimmings at 324 Market St., died yesterday at his house, 225 North Thirty-fourth street. Mr. Fort was 79 years old.” (Inquirer)
1906, Jan. 24: Death of Harry C. Fort
1910:
Selig Presser 41 Ladies tailor; born in
Helena E. Presser
42 Married
19 years, 6 children; born in
Samuel A. Presser
17 Manager
in tailor business
Augusta S.
Presser 14
Ethel B. Presser 11
Lillian Presser
8
Evelyn Presser 4
Fannie P. Glass 30 Cook;
married; born in
Pauline Glass 20 Chambermaid; born in
Selig and Helena Uberall were
married in Philadelphia in 1891. In 1900, they lived at 40 and 42 S. 17th
St. which was the address for his business. The 1904 directory lists him at 317 N. 35th St. He was a ladies
tailor. Their year of immigration is listed as 1881. They had two servants who
were born in
He became a citizen in 1903. He was
living at 38-42 S. 17th St. His application was supported by Davis
Presser of 917 N. Hancock St., Philadelphia.
1911 Passport Application: Selig Presser gives his place of birth
as Gorlice, Galicia, Austria, now in the south of Poland. He was 5'5" tall
and had a moustache. In the same year, he opened an account at the Rosenbaum
Bank for the purchase of a ticket from the Rosenbaum Steamship Co.. It was an “ethnic” bank that was mainly established for
German Jewish immigrants.
1917 Draft Card: Samuel A. Presser, electrician working for Wm.
P. Schwartz at 1739 Morivan, in poor health
1920:
Selig Presser 51 Tailor with own business; born in
Ella Presser 49 Born in
Samuel Presser 27 Hosiery
salesman
Susie Presser 24
Ethel Presser 21 Stenographer for a life insurance co.
Lillian Presser 18
Evelyn Presser 13
1930:
Selig Presser 60 Owner of a tea room; born in Austria, spoke German,
immigrated in 1879; owner
Ella H. Presser 58 born
in Austria, spoke German, immigrated in 1888
Samuel Presser 36 X-ray
salesman
Sussie
Presser 33 Dietician
at a tea room
Ethel Presser 30 Secretary at insurance co.
Lillian Presser 29 Dietician
at a tea room
Regina Presser 26 Hostess at a tea room
Evelyn Presser 23 Hostess at a tea room
The first floor was the Tea Rose
tearoom.
1930: Marriage of Mayme Rittenberg to Samuel A. Presser
1934, Jun. 29: Death of Ella H. Presser, 64 years old of
hypertensive myocarditis; burial at Montefiore Cemetery.
1941, July 24: Death of Selig Presser, 73 years old of coronary
thrombosis; burial at Montefiore Cemetery.
1942 Draft Registration: Samuel A. Presser Jones Metabolism Co.,
1315 Findley Ave., New York N.Y. He was 5'11", 210 lbs.
He died in 1955 while living at 1841
Church Lane.
Revised
11/29/2016