Hyattsville’s most iconic building has maintained its charm for well over a century.
While digging through historical photos, the Hyattsville Wire stumbled on this 1940 photograph of the Hyattsville Hardware Co., at 5121 Baltimore Ave., now home to Franklins Restaurant, Brewery and General Store. The building was originally constructed around 1894 and remains one of the oldest buildings in town.
According to state historical records, the main block was built and used as a carriage factory in 1894 and by 1910 was used temporarily as a firehouse. Between 1910 and 1913, it was converted to a hardware store which remained in operation for 80 years. In 1992, the store closed and later that year the building converted into a restaurant now known as Franklins .
Much of the exterior of the building remains intact and renovations to the interior were done to preserve the wooden floor and metal ceiling.
A lot has changed on the Route 1 corridor over the last few years, especially, but things were really different in 1940.
That’s an interesting history! Yet another thing that’s changed on the building is that it now hosts a productive rooftop “Solar Thermal” system, owned and maintained by community members, which heats much of the hot water used by Franklin’s. This project was one of the first such installations in the nation. So Hyattsville is still making history!