In South Kensington, old warehouses have met diverse fates in recent years. At Oxford Mills, a former dye works has been converted into apartments and office space for educational non-profits. On Howard Street, where the Town Homes at Liberties North are rising, developers tore down an old warehouse in favor of new single family homes. An old umbrella factory, meanwhile, still sits vacant and blighted at 5th & Master.
A couple of years ago, we told you about another interesting warehouse reuse, when Reanimator Coffee moved their roasting facility to 161 Cecil B. Moore Ave., sharing the building with an arts space. With Reanimator having moved their roasting to Master Street, it seems the old textile and dye warehouse has a new and even more stimulating tenant- Keystone Mini Golf.
According to a story from Philly.com, the 9-hole mini golf course opened a few weeks back. The course has a "1950s Americana look," and the space also has a few vintage arcade games. They're byob, and food trucks have been making the rounds. Lately, as far as we can tell from their Instagram photos, they've been rocking some treats from Dottie's Donuts. The course looks pretty fun, though we confess we haven't made it inside just yet.
Is this sustainable, or is this just a placeholder before the inevitable residential conversion? We have no idea and frankly don't care at the moment. The next time it's raining and we have a hankering for mini-golf, thus ruling out Franklin Square, you can bet we're making our way to Keystone. Hours of operation are Thursday, 3pm-midnight, Fridays, 3pm-2am, Saturdays 11am-2am, and Sundays 11am-10pm.
See you there? We'll bring a fifth of whiskey.