A pylon sign former grocery store in Mt Rainier, MD?

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army.arch
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A pylon sign former grocery store in Mt Rainier, MD?

Post by army.arch »

I pass this store all the time when in DC. It's in Mt Rainier, MD on Rhode Island Avenue just past the DC border.
Any ideas for a brand?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/army_arch/ ... 4/sizes/m/
rich
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Re: A pylon sign former grocery store in Mt Rainier, MD?

Post by rich »

Most likely a Safeway, esp. if there is a rounded roof behind the brickwork in front. I think I've seen the same store--there are a number of similar looking stores, which ups the odds of this having been a Safeway---they were by far the most dominant chain in DC up until the 70s. Often Safeway pylon stores appeared sleeker and more horizontal than this and used buff colored brick, but I've seen red brick ones. This may have been an early one, particularly given that Mt Ranier would have been built up well before the first wave of "super markets". This doesn't look like the old Giants and certainly doesn't look like an Acme. Grand Union bought a funny collection of stores to establish itself in DC, including the local Food Fair chain. I doubt that they would have had a defined look for their early stores. The Philly Food Fair chain used a different kind of pylon but had a small DC presence even in the 50s under the Food Lane name.
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Groceteria
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Re: A pylon sign former grocery store in Mt Rainier, MD?

Post by Groceteria »

I've driven by that one before, and I'm not sure why (maybe from an old newspaper ad) but I'm pretty sure it definitely was a Safeway, early 1950s vintage. It does have a sort of odd back part that's elevated above the main section, which I'd forgotten about until I looked at it on Google.
TheQuestioner
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Re: A pylon sign former grocery store in Mt Rainier, MD?

Post by TheQuestioner »

One thought I had upon seeing it was that it might be a former Jumbo Foods. I'm not sure if Jumbo had a "building style" or if they just moved into old supermarket spaces vacated by other chains. There was a store that looks ver much like this that in the 70s and early 80s was a Jumbo Food. It is now Advance Auto Parts (formerly a Trak Auto.) It's on New Hampshire Ave. in Takoma Park, just shy of the DC border. That location may have been discussed on here before, but I can't recall if anyone knew what it was (if anything) before Jumbo.
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