Moyer Building
While many of downtown Lansdale's commercial buildings have been torn down or significantly altered over the years, the Moyer Building at W. Main and Walnut St. maintains much of its Victorian-era charm. Built in 1885, it has always been one of the town's major business places.
The original building extended only a short distance north on Walnut, but by about 1900 an addition was constructed to meet the demand of businesspeople who wanted to locate near the railroad station.
Long forgotten are the names of many tenants who had stores or offices in the building during its 140-year history.
One of those merchants was J.J. Kavash, seen here in front of his tailor shop circa 1930s.
Here are two views from the late 1960s: This view looks down Walnut Street, showing from right, the American Opinion Book Store, Slater & Sons Typewriters, Walton World Travel, The Camera Shop, and Martin’s Tailor Shop. The Gondolier Restaurant and the HiFi Lounge round out the block.
Next is the Main Street side when Neiburg’s clothing store was located in part of what is now Chantilly.
The Moyer Building was considered prime real estate because it was across the tracks from the railroad station where stores benefited from a high visibility factor. Even so, turnover was high because merchants constantly jockeyed for the best spots. We believe as many as 150 retail shops and offices may have been located in the Moyer Building at one time or another.
Currently home to Chantilly Floral and several smaller businesses, this well-preserved survivor of the 1890s era gives us a taste of what the town’s retail district looked like before the dawn of the 20th century.
