George Hacker: first tailor in Ambridge

George Hacker tailor shop
Daily Citizen,
date unknown

In the early 1900s, George Hacker, who advertised that he was the "First Tailor in Ambridge," had a shop at 291 Fourteenth Street, the block between Church and Merchant Streets. His shop window also says "merchant," but I don't know what he sold. I also do not know who the two people are in the photo, as any caption or article which might have identified them wasn't included with the above old Daily Citizen newspaper clipping.

George Hacker, Tailor, ad
Economy Centennial Souvenir Program,
Economy of Old and Ambridge of Today
1924

No building numbered 291 currently exists on Fourteenth Street.

[Update December 17, 2016: I'm going to leave the information on 273 Fourteenth St. below because the photos of the renovations are interesting. But although I never got around to updating this post until today, I learned some time ago that 273 and 291 Fourteenth St. were never the same building.

While some Ambridge buildings were renumbered in 1917, 291 Fourteenth St. wasn't renumbered as 273.

The 1917 Sanborn Insurance map of Ambridge shows 291 Fourteenth St. immediately to the right of a building that still stands, 289 Fourteenth. That map shows 291, identified as a drug store, as a deep building extending from 14th to Boyleston St. Then there's a narrow space, perhaps a walkway, between 291 and the building on the corner, 299 Fourteenth. The 1923 Sanborn map shows 291 as a smaller building, no longer extending to Boyleston, but only as deep as the buildings at 289 and 299.

Both 291 and 299 are gone, and their lots are now a parking lot.]

[Update July 21, 2014: While there is no building currently numbered 291 Fourteenth Street in Ambridge, Gary Gardner pointed out that the facade of 273 Fourteenth Street looks very much like the facade of the tailor shop. I agree. Perhaps the house numbers on Fourteenth Street were changed. If so, that makes doing research on old businesses and homes even more complicated.

273 Fourteenth Street
Google street view

end of update.]

[Update July 22, 2014:

Maria Notarianni submitted this ad which she found in the Good Samaritan Church archives showing George Hacker's tailor shop was once at a different address:

George Hacker, Leading Tailor ad,
Ambridge-Economy Citizen,
December 16, 1904

And Gary Gardner drove to 273 Fourteenth Street yesterday afternoon and found the building is being renovated inside and out by new owner Jim Thornton. This is wonderful!

273 Fourteenth Street, front facade
July 21, 2014
credit: Gary Gardner, used with permission

273 Fourteenth Street, front facade
July 21, 2014
credit: Gary Gardner, used with permission

273 Fourteenth Street, tin ceiling
July 21, 2014
credit: Gary Gardner, used with permission

273 Fourteenth Street, tin ceiling
July 21, 2014
credit: Gary Gardner, used with permission

Thank you Maria and Gary!
end of update]