A century after it opened as a Ford assembly plant, 29 years after it was abandoned, the distinctive triangular building looms lonely at the seedy intersection of Broad and Lehigh, like the last vestige of a once-thriving forest.
But while automobiles, military helmets, and men's suits were manufactured there during its 72-year working existence, the strikingly beautiful structure's lasting legacy may be as a backdrop to local sports history.
Anyone who's ever seen photos of Baker Bowl, the Phillies stadium that stood just across Lehigh Avenue, has seen the factory. Its solidity, shape, and size, so prominent in contrast to the mundane, ramshackle ballpark, immediately drew your eyes.