PHILAPHILIA Dead-Ass Proposal of the Week: Tun Tavern Reconstruction
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
A weekly series of foul-mouthed investigations into empty lots, dead-ass proposals and other design phenomena in Philadelphia. Find more stories like this at Philaphilia.blogspot.com.
109 Spruce Street: Old conjectural drawing of Tun Tavern superimposed (badly) onto the site of the proposed project.
In last week's Empty Lot of the Week, I examined a dirty pile of empty land at the corner of Spruce Street and 38th Parallel Place, between Front and Second. At the end, I appealed to the sky for an answer as to why the city has been sitting on this space for the last 40 years without nary a sign of life, besides a brand new sidewalk that was just installed -- the first one this lot has ever had! In the comments section of that piece, Philaphile Bob Bruhin brought up the fact that a re-build of the legendary Tun Tavern was once set to happen here but never did. A Dead-Ass Proposal! This Dead-Ass Proposal is one of the worst kinds -- one that gets proposed over and over again but just can't get built. In fact, its hard to even declare this one fully dead since there are people out there intent on building this motherfucker!
Tun Tavern, built in 1693, existed for 88 years at the corner of Tun Alley and King Street (later Water Street), now a site several meters above the slow lane on I-95. This tavern was one of the many to claim to be the first of its kind in the city and/or America. Tun Tavern also carries the legendary significance of being the birthplace of the United States Marine Corps and the first Masonic Lodge in America. Though it is certain that Tun Tavern was the first Masonic Lodge, the Marine Corps Birthplace legend has never been historically confirmed. Nonetheless, any Marine would tell you that Tun Tavern in Philadelphia is where the Marines come from. Oh, I should probably mention that Tun Tavern is also legendary for being the birthplace of the first Philly Cheesesteak while the place was called Peggy Mullen's Red Hot Beefsteak House.
Due to the legendary status of Tun Tavern's connection to the Marine Corps, rumors swirled for decades that Tun Tavern would one day be rebuilt in Philadelphia. In 1926, that dream came to life, albeit temporarily. A reproduction based on conjecture was built on the grounds of the infamous Sesquicentennial International Exposition.
So much for a Dead-Ass Proposal. Tun Tavern is a Double-Lost Building!
The Sesquicentennial had a small area that was made-up to look like Colonial Philadelphia. This is where the rebuilt Tun Tavern was placed, but was demolished as soon as the event was over. Some think that this was partially the inspiration for the Independence National Historical Park, aka the Independence Historical Grass Lot Collection/Awesome Victorian Building Graveyard.
When the Independence National Historical Park was first authorized by Congress in 1948, some folks started putting together plans for a reconstruction of Tun Tavern that would be part of the new park. They were even able to get the Mary Curtis Louis Bok Foundation to throw down some dough to get it done. After years of preparation, the plans fell apart because nobody was able to find an accurate set of plans that detailed the true appearance and configuration of the original structure. As a result, it was decided to upgrade New Hall, a surviving 18th Century structure that would become part of the park, and make it the Marine Corp Memorial Museum. The place was so dilapidated that it had to be demolished and rebuilt. It later became the New Hall Military Museum.
Even after that, the idea of a rebuild of Tun Tavern still stood strong. In the early 1970s, a group of former Marines and city officials got together for another attempt. This time, they were able to reserve some city land to make it happen on a $1/year lease. This is when the corner of Spruce and 38th Parallel Place first got slated as the new location for the new Tun Tavern. In 1974, the site was excavated and a foundation was poured. $400,000 was raised to get the project done ... then nothing. By 1982, the project was declared dead. All we have left is this shitty concrete wall sticking out of the ground that I complained about last week.
In 1989, the Marine Corp Tun Tavern Foundation was formed with the mission of finally getting this motherfucker built. They distanced themselves from all the other organizations that had tried and set out to finally get it done, once and for all. They started raising money for what they estimated would be a $3 million project. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on November 10th, 1990, but led to zero construction. By 1993, only $50,000 was collected. Something had to be done to get the ball rolling.
On April 21, 1994, the Marine Corp Tun Tavern Foundation entered into a licensing agreement with Tun Tavern Brewing Company Inc, giving over the tavern's trademark name to a small brewery. The Foundation would collect a licensing fee that would go toward the re-build of Tun Tavern, about 50 cents from every $19 case of beer. The small brewery proved successful and plans to rebuild Tun Tavern seemed imminent to come about.
In 1997, Montgomery Dahm, president of Tun Tavern Brewing, decided to open a bar/restaurant/brewery in Atlantic City, near the train station and then-new convention center. The name of this establishment? The Tun Tavern.
That's not what it looked like!! Image from their website.
The licensing of the trademark continues to this day. So where the fuck is the rebuild? Its been nearly 20 years since the trademark stuff. The Atlantic City Tun Tavern has been around for 15 years now and has proven to be a smashing success. Are we to believe that even after all these years, there still isn't enough money to build the tavern? Or is the Atlantic City version the end result of the Marine Corp Tun Tavern Foundation's efforts? By the way, the Foundation entered into a 50-year lease on the Spruce/20th Parallel Place site in October of 1994. Therefore, there's still plenty of time for them to get this done. Get on it already!!
If you really want to visit a nice recreation of Tun Tavern, check out the one at the National Museum of the Marine Corp in Triangle, VA. Its the interior only, but fuck it.
