End of an era: Legendary Macy's store in Philadelphia, PA closing

It is, quite literally, the end of an era in Center City Philadelphia as published reports say a major department store is closing.

That store is Macy's, right in the shadow of City Hall.

Of course, if you grew up in and around the city, you know that property as the flagship location of the former John Wanamaker's chain, which opened on the corner of 13th and Market back in the 1800s.

Specifically, it was in 1876 when John Wanamaker opened his store in Center City — at the time, primarily selling only men's clothes. By the following year, his store would begin selling just about everything.

That store, according to Wikipedia, was not only the first modern-day department store in Philadelphia, but it was also the first department store in the nation with electric lights, a telephone, and pneumatic tubes to transport cash and documents. The "Wanamaker Organ" in the store is also the largest fully operational pipe organ in the world, based on the number of ranks and physical mass weight, with over 28,000 pipes.

Wanamaker's Christmas Light Show

In 1956, Wanamaker's in Center City debuted their world-famous Christmas Light Show, a fully narrated holiday display that has entertained generations.

Changing hands, over and over

In 1978 facing fierce competition, the Wanamaker family sold their stores to Carter Hawley Hale. A series of sales, of both the business and the Center City store itself, took place in the years that followed, and in 1995, the operation was taken over by May Department Stores Company, which removed the Wanamaker's name. In the summer of 2006 after changing names to Hects, Strawbridge's, and Lord & Taylor, the Macy's name graced the front of the landmark store.

The Market Street entrance to Macy's in Philadelphia PA - Photo: Google Maps

READ MORE: 20 old mall stores we wish we could visit one more time

End of an era

Sadly, now in 2025, that store is shutting down, per a report in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Not many details are yet available, however, the paper quoted an employee as saying, "Everything happened too fast. We don’t even know yet when they are closing, but we know it is sometime in March."

The Center City store is reportedly one of about 65 Macy's stores that will be closing in the near future.

As for what will be happening to the building itself, and all of the amazing and historic items inside, that's anyone's guess at the moment.

It's hard to imagine something that's been around for generations suddenly vanishing. It's even harder to imagine a Christmas in Philly without that light show.