MPN Realty, Inc. is pleased to present the sale of 259-61 S 15th St. aka McGlinchey’s. An iconic Philadelphia landmark bar, the 4,992 +/- SF property consists of a bar with small kitchen on the first floor, a 2nd floor bar with stage area, and a 3rd floor that is currently in shell condition. Zoned CMX-5 the site is ideal for bar/ restaurant operators, or potential redevelopment.
What became McGlinchey’s was built in 1922 as a speculative office building by the Lionel Friedman Company, under the designs of the famous architecture firm Hoffman-Henon and built by the Kober Construction Company.
After 10 years as the offices of the Allen-Sherman-Hoff Company, Joseph A. McGlinchey purchased the building on September 26, 1932. Mr. McGlinchey leased the first floor to a book and gift store called the Odd Shop, and opened McGlinchey’s Restaurant on the 2nd f loor, while residing on the 3rd floor.
By the 1950s, McGlinchey’s was operating on the first floor while the McGlinchey family lived upstairs. In the following decades, McGlinchey’s operated as a venerated neighborhood establishment enjoyed by nearby residents and workers of all different backgrounds. In 1976, the 2nd floor was converted into the Top’s Bar, which started as a disco, later became a music and poetry venue, and finally an extension of McGlinchey’s itself.
After nine decades as a beloved Center City business, McGlinchey’s closed on August 22, 2025. The site is ideal for a new owner to make its mark and continue the legacy of McGlinchey’s.