Philly Refuses to Give Up on Old Names

Change is a part of every day life. Sometimes its minor. Other times its a life altering thing. Sometimes changes can be a great thing and can revitalize you. But for certain places, things, or dare we say jawns... Philadelphians outright refuse to give up the old names of certain things.

One of our favorite writers at The Philadelphia Inquirer, Stephanie Farr, recently poised the question: What old names do Philly natives still use everyday even though "officially" the name has changed. From street names to iconic venues, there are a quite a few examples. Some Stephanie gave include:

Ask anyone nowadays where they could get cash from they'll tell you that you get it from an ATM (Automated Teller Machine). But around these parts you'll get someone who'll tell you that its a MAC Machine. The Money Access Center was first introduced to Philadelphia in the 70's and stopped existing in 2005. However, you'll still find people when they need cash say they need to "Tap MAC". Unless you're Casey Boy who says "hit MAC" and his friend will scold him about it.

A legendary street running along the Delaware River...makes sense it would get the name "Delaware Ave". Built in the early 1800's that's exactly what it was known as until the late 1980's when a section of it was renamed "Columbus Blvd" to honor Christopher Columbus. Many Philadelphians to this date have vandalized the street signs to say "Delaware Ave" sticking to the old name.

Where you travelling down Spring Garden Street between 10th and 11th Street, you may have gotten hungry and stopped at the Spaghetti Warehouse. While the building has had a storied history, including being a roller rink and a luggage depot for trains, people still most associate it with the restaurant. It is currently a music venue called Union Transfer.

Marisa Magnatta shared how she use to stop at the Spaghetti Warehouse for bites and beverages before heading to shows at the Electric Factory. Speaking of that venue...

Many of an MMR concert event happened at the Electric Factory on 7th Street. Artists frequently reminisce about their time cutting their teeth in Philly and a fond venue of choice was most of the time the Electric Factory. Even bands like Green Day put out live records recorded there. Fortunately it is still a music venue under the name of Franklin Music Hall. Shakespear once famously wrote in Romeo & Juliet "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet". To a lot of people, keep the old name of Electric Factory.

Some of the Preston & Steve faithful chimed in with their old names they refuse to let go of. For one person the venue in Camden will always be the "Tweeter Center". It's had a bunch of name changes over the years so you'd probably find a dozen or so people who stick by each name.

Another would always refer to FDR Park as "The Lakes" which he thought his dad made up. Turns out Casey Boy would also call it that. Turns out names matter and for Philly keeping the old names is non-negotiable.