A little less than five years ago, the Japanese foot apparel brand Atmos replaced the locally grown Ubiq at their brick and mortar location at 1509 Walnut St. after a corporate merger. Now, with Atmos’ parent company Foot Locker shutting down the brand’s website and North American physical locations, the shoe is on the other foot, as it were. Later this summer, sneaker boutique Bullseye is set to open their first storefront in this recently vacated retail space in the heart of the Rittenhouse shopping district, after getting the go ahead from the City’s Art Commission.

The second turnover of this retail spot in less than five years might typically indicate a problem with the location, but in this instance, we can clearly chalk up the changes to corporate acquisitions and multi-national conglomerates re-balancing their international brands. Over the last couple months we’ve covered a few internet-focused apparel and jewelry brands opening up their first Philadelphia locations on Chestnut Street, so we don’t have to stretch our imaginations too hard to imagine why the sneaker re-seller would find this address appealing for their third physical location. The fact that the store’s interior presumably needed only cosmetic updates may have also been a selling point.

Despite its most recent uses, this Jacobethan style building wasn’t designed for the purpose of selling new and/or lightly used basketball shoes. The building was constructed in 1902 as a private residence, with Doctor J.C. Wilson, former president of the American Medical Association, among its inhabitants. Years later, community leader and realtor Albert H. Lieberman donated the building to the Federation of Jewish Agencies. In the early 70s the building was nearly razed when the Federation ran out of space and planned to demo their home and build a new one in its place. Fortunately some complications with their relocation plan gave the Federation enough time to find a new permanent location elsewhere in Center City, and the plans for knocking over the historic building was shelved. So the next time you’re strolling down Walnut Street be sure to thank the sheet metal workers for the May 1974 strike which inadvertently saved this piece of Philadelphia’s architectural history.

Incidentally, the four-story building is far from the highest and best use at this location and a taller building with a residential component would make more sense. But that ship has sailed, as its designation on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places means that replacing it is more or less impossible, not that we’d endorse demolishing this wonderful building anyway. So while we’re probably not going to drop thousand dollars on sneakers anytime soon, we hope the new proprietors can score a nine-dart finish as this building takes the next steps in its now 123-year journey.