If you want to search for the retail banking capital of Haverford, Pennsylvania, look no further than the intersection of Lancaster Avenue and Haverford Station Road. If you are like me, you may have been a regular at Haverford Plaza’s Bruegger’s Bagels. Going forward, you’ll have to trade in bagels and cream cheese for bags of cash.
The demolished 390 block on Lancaster Avenue will become home to a brand new 3,028 sq. ft. Chase Retail Bank branch. It will join the existing Wells Fargo and TD banks at two other corners of the intersection. That’s right, three banks and the cBOP baby boutique will soon flank the intersection, just yards from soccer and baseball’s Memorial Field.
Lower Merion Township’s Ward 10 Commissioner Scott Zelov said, “While there are banks on two of the other three corners, the project complies with the Lower Merion Township zoning code, and will have more green space and a smaller footprint than the prior retail building.”
“The project complies with the Lower Merion Township zoning code, and will have more green space and a smaller footprint than the prior retail building.”
Commisioner Mr. Scott Zelov
The parking lot will also be redesigned.
“The awkward and unsafe parking entered from the long curb cut on Haverford Station Road will be eliminated,” Zelov said. “The sidewalks will be wider, making it easier and safer for Haverford College and Haverford School students, and others who walk to Haverford Square and to the Haverford Train Station.”
In addition to the design changes, the Township pushed for earth-friendly additions. A rain garden will be implemented to aid a stormwater management system. Students may start to notice more butterflies and birds in the neighborhood thanks to the Planning Commission’s suggested plantings of native and non-invasive trees and wildflowers.
Despite its transformation to yet another bank, this plot of land holds significant history.
Back when Haverford was The Haverford College Grammar School in the late 1800s, the surrounding area was residential. This historic triangular property was once the site of Wiltonhurst, the Victorian home of prominent Haverford lawyer Anthony A. Hirst. The home stood for decades and was passed on to generations. As time has passed, this property has been rezoned and developed into part of Haverford’s shopping district.
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