Fossil Is Not Coming to 1616 Walnut, But We’ll Soon Know What Is

Fossil, the handbag/watch/jewelry store chain, was slated to move into 1616 Walnut Street–the gorgeous Art Deco building that your dentist no longer works in because it’s turning residential–sometime this year. The store’s arrival seemed like a done deal for a while there, particularly after two Fossil reps came to a meeting of the Philadelphia Historical Commission to discuss the signs the company wanted to put on the facade of the building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Commission granted approval of the signage after some discussion and modifications, which was a nice first step.

At the time, however, John Gallery of the Preservation Alliance objected to the signage, and the Alliance did have approval rights to any changes to the building, according to PlanPhilly. Ultimately, the two sides simply couldn’t agree.

Now we’re being told a new retailer has been secured for the fossilized Fossil space, but the deal isn’t quite inked. We’ll keep you posted.