WELCOME to The Franklin Fountain! We’re mighty pleased to have you join us, even though we’re not smiling {this tintype took an awful long time to stand for}. Please soak in the ambiance, take time to peruse the menu you’re holding and feel free to make inquiry of any of our splendid soda jerks. We’re at your service.
1 OUR VALUES & Mission
Our Ice Creams, Toppings and Baked Goods are made in-house from scratch recipes. We employ real, live persons to churn, freeze, steep, knead, and cook wholesome confectionery foods from the highest quality ingredients. Our staff is the engine that drives the business, and every dollar earned goes towards supporting an American job.
Milk and cream is obtained by contented, grass-fed cows close to home, procured from a 1926 family dairy. Fruits are local when in season and regularly preserved for year-round use. Nuts are freshly roasted in South Philadelphia. Chocolate is processed and sourced from Guittard Chocolate Company, founded in San Francisco in 1868. Our rooftop apiary and herb garden at Shane’s supplements honey and spice ingredients. We use natural dyes and flavors wherever possible.
Ice cream cones are the greenest food packaging around! All of our paper pails, spoons, napkins, straws and natural cups are biodegradable and will not damage the earth.
The Franklin Fountain aims to serve an experience steeped in ideals, drizzled with drollery, and sprinkled with the
forgotten f lavors of the American past.
2 CONTENTS
Sundaes ...... 4 Flavors ...... 6 Toppings ...... 8 College Ice ...... 9 Splits ...... 10 Seasonal ...... 12 Milk Shakes . . . . 15 Egg Creams . . . . 16 Phosphates . . . . . 17 Thirst-Ades . . . . 17 Floats ...... 18 Sodas ...... 19 History ...... 20 FAQs . . . . . 24
3 SUNDAES
The Franklin Mint ...... $1150 MINT CHIP and VANILLA BEAN ice creams engraved in CHOCOLATE SYRUP, fluffy MARSHMALLOW GLAZE, and FRESH MINT SYRUP, finished with house-made WHIPPED CREAM and a MINT CHOCOLATE COIN from Shane Confectionery.
“Nothing tastes sweeter than Honey, save Money” - Poor Richard.
Homemade Hot Fudge ...... $10 Two dipperfuls of Philadelphia VANILLA BEAN ice cream drowned in Franklin Fountain HOT FUDGE and topped with our fresh WHIPPED CREAM and a BORDEAUX CHERRY - An American icon. We make our hot fudge fresh using dark chocolate, churned smooth with fresh local milk, cream, and butter, then cooked on-site in an antique copper candy kettle. Honest ingredients are the best policy for flavor.
The Lightning Rod ...... $12 A battery of DARK CHOCOLATE BROWNIE PIECES charged with COFFEE ice cream, amidst clouds of WHIPPED CREAM, raining a SHOT of ESPRESSO and zapped by CHOCOLATE COVERED ESPRESSO BEANS, WHITE CHOCOLATE SHAVINGS and conducted by a SALTY PRETZEL ROD. {pretzel rod contains gluten}
This invention will surely electrify even the most enervated.
The Mt. Vesuvius ...... $12 A mountain of CHOCOLATE or VANILLA ice cream erupting in CHOCOLATE BROWNIE boulders, cascading with HOT FUDGE, and blanketed in MALT POWDER. A dollop of WHIPPED CREAM indicates her smoking signal. A true display of Pompeii-an circumstance.
{Brownies & malt powder contain Gluten.}
Peach Melba Parfait ...... $1050 A solo act of fresh PEACH ice cream dressed in a curtain of RASPBERRY COMPOTE, bejeweled with ALMONDS, and encircled with a necklace of ruffled WHIPPED CREAM.
Following soprano Nellie Melba’s performance of Wagner’s Lohengrin in 1893, French chef Auguste Escoffier was moved to create an exquisite dessert for Dame Nellie. 4 Sundaes can also be made to carry out.
The Southern Belle ...... $12 RUM RAISIN and PISTACHIO ice creams smothered in sweet hot CARAMEL and studded with CANDIED CAYENNE PECANS and PISTACHIOS upon a WHIPPED CREAM bonnet.
This Franklin Fountain original is as pretty as a sweet-talking Louisiana Girl in her Sunday best.
Maple Leaf Rag ...... $1050 Two dipperfuls of CHOCOLATE or caramelized BANANA ice cream are shellacked in pure MAPLE WALNUTS, the syncopated sweetness cut by The Sting of prickly PINEAPPLE, crushed fresh, all keyed up with WHIPPED CREAM.
An homage to Scott Joplin’s popular 1899 piano ballad.
The Stock Market Crunch ...... $1150 ROCKY ROAD ice cream bonded in thick PEANUT BUTTER SAUCE, balanced by crisp SALTED PRETZELS, and secured by fresh WHIPPED CREAM and a BORDEAUX CHERRY. {pretzels contain gluten}
William Dreyer and Joseph Edy concocted the first batch of Rocky Road ice cream in 1929 following the great stock market crash to give consumers something to Smile about during the impending Depression.
Broken Hearts ...... $11 “...place VANILLA ice cream on a 6-inch plate. Cover the ice cream with fresh, sweetened, and slightly mashed strawberries, and over these put sweetened whipped cream; top off with two wholestrawberries and serve with two wafers. Sells for 20 cents.” {wafers contain gluten} {F. Varney, Dispenser’s Formulary, 1910}
Looking for Banana Splits? See Page 10. 5 ICE CREAM by the cup or cone
Small $550 {One Flavor Only} Medium $7 {Up to Two Flavors} Large $9 {Up to Three Flavors}
50 Large cones require a waff le cone. {$2 add’tl}
Waffle Cone {$250 add’tl} Cake Cone Sugar Cone
Vanilla Bean: Philadelphia Style; local Cream, Milk and Sugar with real Vanilla
Chocolate: made with Dutch Cocoas, rich and dark
Whirly Berley: Chocolate with Honey Nougat, Salted Chocolate Caramel, Cocoa Nibs
Rocky Road: Chocolate with Almonds and house-made Marshmallow Weave
Chocolate Chip: classic Vanilla Bean with bittersweet Chocolate Chips
Hydrox Cookie : the original Cookies-and-Cream, invented before the OREO {with gluten}
Peanut Butter: creamy Vanilla with salty and sweet Peanut Butter swirls
Mint Chocolate Chip: white Peppermint, bittersweet Chocolate, fresh Mint Syrup
Coconut: made with real Fruit Shavings
Caramelized Banana: made in honor of Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia in 2015
Peach: local Peaches and Cream
Strawberry: mashed and pureed real Fruits
Black Raspberry: sweet, dark, and velvety
Te a b e rry G u m : minty pink Wintergreen; a central Pennsylvania folk favorite
Green Tea: light and savory, Chinese Matcha
Ginger: whole Roots cooked with Brown Sugar, candied Ginger Bits
Rum Raisin: Jamaican Rum, organic Jumbo Raisins
6 *Some flavors use extracts, which contain trace amounts of alcohol Ask a Soda Jerk about our Seasonal Flavors.
Coffee: locally roasted Coffee; designed by black coffee drinkers
Cherry Butter Almond: Philly-roasted and salted Almonds, organic Bordeaux Cherries
Butter Pecan: butterscotched memories of the sweet South, Jumbo Pecans
Pistachio: Philly-roasted and salted California Pistachios, no color added
Map le Waln u t : English Walnuts in Pennsylvania Maple Syrup
Cotton Candy: fluffy pink and flavored with blue Marshmallow whirls
Sugar-Free Vanilla Bean: real Vanilla, Cream, Milk, Splenda
Sugar-Free Butter Pecan: butterscotchey Jumbo Pecans, Splenda
VEGAN FLAVORS
Dairy-Free Vanilla: Coconut Cream, Tapioca Syrup, Organic Cane Sugar, real Vanilla
Dairy-Free Chocolate: Coconut Cream, Tapioca Syrup, Organic Cane Sugar, house-made Chocolate Sauce
Mango Ice: smooth and sweet Indian Mangos {dairy-free}
ICE CREAM to take home
Pints ...... $9 Quarts ...... $15
Franklin Ice Cream is hand-made on site with the purest, premium ingredients and packed in the Original Ice Cream Carton patented in the early 1900s.
Please order ahead for more than four quarts. Call (215) 627-1899 or email us at [email protected]
7 TOPPINGS
Add a topping à la carte or build your own custom Sundae. House-Made Hot Fudge ...... $2 Hot Caramel ...... $2 Peanut Butter Sauce {dairy-free} ...... $2 Fresh Whipped Cream ...... $2 Whipped Coconut Cream {vegan} ...... $2 Chocolate Syrup, cold {vegan} ...... $2 Fresh Mint Syrup {vegan} ...... $2 Marshmallow Sauce {dairy-free} ...... $2 Chocolate Brownie Pieces {with gluten} ...... $3 Walnuts in Maple Syrup ...... $250 Spicy Candied Pecans ...... $3 Raspberry Compote ...... $2 Crushed Strawberries ...... $2 Three-Berry Compote {Raspberries, Blueberries, Strawberries} . . . . . $2 Fresh Crushed Pineapple ...... $250
Jimmies, Chocolate or Multicolor {with soy} ...... $1 Malted Milk Powder {with gluten} ...... $1 Salted Pretzel Pieces {with gluten} ...... $2 Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans {with soy}...... $250 Wilbur Bittersweet Chocolate Chunks {with soy} ...... $2 White Chocolate Shavings {with soy}...... $2 Hydrox Cookie Pieces {with gluten, soy} ...... $2 Salted Pistachios ...... $2 Chopped Salted Almonds ...... $2 Salted Pecans ...... $2 Spanish Peanuts ...... $2 Sliced Bananas ...... $2
Make a Franklin Fountain Sundae at home with jarred Hot Fudge, Hot Caramel, or Peanut Butter Sauce to go. $9 ea or 3 for $25
8 COLLEGE ICES
Once upon a simpler time, young fraternity gents asked pretty college girls out for a row or a round on his Velocipede, later accompanied by some ice cream refreshment. Ladies were known to prefer a small amount of sorbet or ice cream accompanied by a fruit or nut dressing.
Choose one Scoop of Ice Cream and one Topping. $750
What’s a good combination? Ask a Soda Jerk. 9 BANANA SPLITS
Dr Dovey’s Classic 1904 Banana Split ...... $15 In a proper banana boat is placed a BANANA, split lengthwise with one scoop each of VANILLA, STRAWBERRY, and CHOCOLATE ice creams covered in crushed PINEAPPLES and STRAWBERRies, topped with CHOCOLATE syrup, and garnished with WHIPPED CREAM, chopped ALMONDS, and three Bordeaux CHERRIES.
Originated in 1904 by pharmacist David Strickler in Latrobe, PA. An apprentice, Howard Dovey, brought the Banana Split to Philadelphia where he attended medical school. Dr. Dovey is credited with popularizing the famous dessert by instructing Philadelphia soda dispensers on how to make a split properly.
Banana Split for My Baby ...... $13 A smaller variation of the American Classic, inspired by Louis Prima’s 1949 tune for that waist-conscious lady or man. A BANANA sliced into coins laden with CHOCOLATE and PEANUT BUTTER ice creams coated with HOT FUDGE, PEANUT BUTTER SAUCE, and Spanish PEANUTS, and finished with WHIPPED CREAM and two CHERRIES.
Served with a glass of plain water for him.
Tarzan of the Apes ...... $11 The swinging swashbuckler was born in 1912 by a middle-aged pencil sharpener salesman named Edgar Rice Burroughs. As the story goes, a supple young man {a generous serving of VANILLA} with Ape blood {CHOCOLATE SYRUP} is raised on tropical fruits {BANANAS & BERRIES} and crowned King of the Jungle {ALMONDS and a WHIPPED CREAM headband}.
This dessert’s Intelligent Design makes for a slippery slope and can split audiences right down the middle!
All of our BANANAS are Organic. Isn’t that appealing?
For substitutions or customizations, ask your Soda Jerk. 10 14 MILK SHAKES
Originally the milk shake was a beverage that combined milk and flavored syrup, shaken like a cocktail. As demand and volume increased for milk shakes, specialty machines were developed to shake two at a time, operated by a hand-crank to hasten the process. As electric blending apparatuses were developed into the 1910s and 20s, ice cream began to be incorporated into “shakes.”
Our milk shakes are spun on a triple-spindle Hamilton Beach mixer, the industry standard used in the hamburger shops of the 1950s and ever since. Just the right ratio of milk and ice cream is required to perfect the ‘art of the shake:’ not too thin, not too thick. A national press accolade of “Best Milk Shake in America” was bestowed upon us in 2013. Choose your flavor.
Regular ...... $850
Large ...... $950
Make it a Malted or add house-made Whipped Cream for an extra $1
Malted milk is a mixture of malted barley, wheat flour, and whole milk, which is evaporated until it forms a powder.
Vegan & Dairy-Free Milk Shakes Available using Coconut Milk, Fruit Toppings, Vegan Whipped Cream and Coconut-based ice creams. Ask a Soda Jerk for options. 15 EGG CREAMS
New York Egg Cream . . . . $5 {Fox’s Chocolate or house-made Vanilla}
Origins of the Egg Cream differ as widely as the accents heard in the Lower East Side...
Some say the Egg Cream was invented in Brooklyn around 1910 by savvy syrup men who were looking to make a buck by suggesting soda jerks mix their chocolate syrup with milk and seltzer.
Their syrup company eventually evolved into Fox’s, famous for their chocolate syrup.
Does our New York Egg Cream use Fox’s? U-Bet it does. No egg, no cream.
Philadelphia Egg Cream . . . . $6 {Chocolate or house-made Vanilla}
In the Berley Brothers’ library, there is a rare volume from 1897 entitled The Standard Manual of Soda and Other Beverages. Chapter XI is devoted entirely to “Egg Drinks,” listing dozens of egg sodas, egg phosphates as well as egg, milk, and cream drinks. A recipe for “Egg Cream” appears on page 112 listing as the ingredients: Cream, {simple} Syrup, Vanilla extract, {Raw} Egg yolks. We call this a “Philadelphia Egg Cream.” You decide which is richer: New York or Philadelphia.
The consumption of raw or undercooked eggs may increase your risk of food-bourne illness, especially for young children, senior citizens and pregnant women. 16 PHOSPHATES
Tart, old-fashioned sodas with a dash of citric or phosphoric acid.
Japanese Thirst Killer ...... $5 Orgeat Almond Syrup, Grape Juice, and Angostura Bitters with Phosphate. This recipe is adapted from The Dispenser’s Formulary of 1915.
Hemingway’s Dream ...... $6 A phosphorescent “Green Fairy” compiled and revised with sweetened Lemon Juice, fresh Mint Anise Syrup, Seltzer, Citric Acid, and an Absinthe-soaked Sugar Cube reminiscent of the Old Man from the Western Key.
Havana Sunrise ...... $6 Awaken to the honk of colorful fifties cars and the brilliant skyline of Old Havana while sipping a cocktail of snappy Ginger, ruby Raspberry, and freshly-squeezed Limes. ¡Estupendo!
THIR S T- A DES
Made with pressed, whole fruit.
Lemonade Lime Rickey {Fizzy} Limeade Roman Punch {Seasonal} Lemons, Grapefruit, Oranges, & Bergamot. $5
Prefer Seltzer? Ask your jerk to “Make mine a Rickey.” 17 ICE CREAM SODAS
The introduction of ice cream to the soda occurred in 1874 in Philadelphia, by Robert M. Green.
Root Beer Float {on Draught} Our house-made Root Beer is steeped in Brown Sugar with Anise, Birch, Cinnamon, Sassafras, and other spices to sharply compliment the sweet Vanilla Bean ice cream as they meld together. Served in a tall, icy mug.
Ladies’ Choice Raspberry Soda with Peach ice cream topped with Sweet Cream and crushed Raspberries. A luscious choice for the lady, or her lover...
Coca-Cola and Ice Cream Hand-mixed Coca-Cola from our marble fountain and floated with Vanilla ice cream. It’s almost as addictive as when Dr. Pemberton made it with cocaine, prior to 1903.
Cherry Bomb A ball of bittersweet Chocolate ice cream dropped into a house-mixed, tartly sweet Cherry Soda.
Wiener Eiskaffee {Veen-er Ice Cafe} Black Coffee cold brewed in The Chocolate Café at Shane Confectionery with a scoop of Vanilla Bean, Whipped Cream, and Chocolate Syrup. A Viennese coffeehouse classic. $850
18 Create your own, ask a Soda Jerk. HAND-DRAWN SODAS
Anise Mint * Ginger * Peach Apple Grape Pineapple Banana Grapefruit Raspberry * Cherry Lavender * Root Beer * Chocolate * Lemon * Rose Coca-Cola Lime * Strawberry * Coconut Mango Vanilla * Diet Coke Orange Violet Dr. Pepper Orgeat-Almond * Watermelon
* Denotes house-made soda syrups
$3
‘Two Cents Plain’ Seltzer ...... $1 add Citric or Phosphoric Acid . . . . . $.50
WHO’S A JERK? The soda “jerk” is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the action of jerking the fountain tap lever to charge a soda. Soda jerks were beloved kings of the American Main Street, often showcasing their mixology skills for an audience of ladies, lovers, and gents seated at the fountain counter.
The dispenser of the 19th century was a pharmacist first, mixing remedies and “healthful” cocktails of pulverized herbs, fruits, and flowers with soda water and flavored sugar syrups to make them palatable. Water was charged with CO2 gas to produce soda, an industrial evolution of the mineral spring waters popularly found at health spas in early America. Soft drinks (without alcohol) were drawn from fancy marble fountains following the Civil War and became popular spots for ladies, children, and temperance tee-totalers. 19 OUR BRIEF HISTORY
Ryan and Eric Berley grew up in the trolley-car suburb discussing possible ideas for uses of the building and, of Media, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia. on a lark, the idea of starting a soda fountain came up. Known as “Everybody’s Hometown,” The long, narrow space and the architectural details Media provided the setting for a seemed to beckon ghosts of the past, what Rockwellian upbringing. In might have once been... the family home, Mother Berley began an antiques The brothers Berley then set shop called The Saturday about the task of researching Evening Experience and designing an old soda selling old, framed fountain. They traveled magazine art and the country visiting advertising. Rob old soda shops and and Carole Berley devoured antique even decorated soda fountain the family dining dispensary room as an manuals to old-time ice learn the art cream parlor. of the Soda Each summer the Jerk. Ryan used Berleys took road his knowledge and trips to all corners connections in the of America visiting antiques trade, along small towns, antique with Carole’s, to source markets and the fixtures for the shop. museums, fueling Meanwhile, Eric began learning the boys’ passion the ice cream craft with relatives for history. in Buffalo, NY, who own a chain of stores. After a significant 18-month Many years renovation of the building, the boys later, following opened The Franklin Fountain the college degrees last week of summer, September 2004. in History & The first steady employees were Entrepreneurship Mom and Dad, helping out on the (Ryan) and weekends. Since those early days Philosophy & countless newspaper, magazine and Business (Eric), the television pieces have featured the family acquired the historic little soda shop. Ten years later, building at 116 Market St. in “The Fountain,” as it is affectionately Old City, Philadelphia. The Berleys were enchanted known, has become a local institution and achieved with the building’s old advertisements painted on international renown. Serving all walks of life, the brick {look up outside}, decorative window bays, languages and cultures {even pets!}, the long lines at original tin ceilings and penny tile floors. One wintry The Franklin Fountain are legendary. night in a local French restaurant, the family was THE END.
20 AROUND the soda shop
Sidle up to the vintage Tennessee pink marble soda fountains that front the counters. These were purchased by the Berley Brothers at various antique venues nearby where they had been salvaged from defunct fountains. Run your fingers under the marble countertops to feel the petrified chewing gum accumulated from over 90 years of patrons.
The dark cherry wood back bar came from a pharmacy in Lancaster County and dates to 1910, exhibiting stained glass doors in the Arts & Crafts style, along with a Tennessee pink marble top. A replica of a Houdon bust sculpture of Benjamin Franklin sits atop, watching...
At the corner of the front counter is the Soda Fountain draught lamp, circa 1905. Crafted of Mexican onyx with a bronze Art Nouveau standard and slag glass lampshade, silver-plated spigots dispense soda water or plain seltzer. Fruit and other sweet flavored syrups are mixed with seltzer to create sodas the old-fashioned way, by hand. This is one of the oldest working soda fountains in the United States and was acquired by the Berleys near Los Angeles from a movie prop-house where it had been mothballed in the 1970s after a failed Paramount Pictures pilot. The owner had originally purchased it in Philadelphia nearly fifty years ago!
The antique oak wall intercom near the front window connects to our upper office to relay messages. The wall telephone near the milkshake machines, from the 1920s, is working and may eventually ring if you linger.
The twin National Cash Registers are bronze and nickel-plated brass, both dating to the 1910s, before these metals were rationed for World War I munitions. On the nickeled model, the Berleys painted favorite Benjamin Franklin quotes on the $ flags offering free wisdom with every purchase.
The ceiling fans are newer cast iron reproductions of an 1890s style. They employ a sewing machine belt drive to function off of a single central motor. The Fountain has a myriad of “fans,” of all types and ages.
The oak cigar cabinet, at the back of the shop, housing candy, gums and bottled soda dates from 1910 and came from Bomberger’s Pharmacy, which the Berley Brothers salvaged in Chester, PA. We’re not sure exactly what was stored in the secret fold-out doors behind the glass-fronted cigar cases. Liquor during prohibition? Cash? 21 WHY FRANKLIN?
In 1728, The Pennsylvania Gazette began and was printed by Benjamin Franklin, who built it into the largest circulation newspaper in the colonies. The Gazette was the antecedent of The Saturday Evening Post, taking over the publication in 1821. Franklin’s printing house and shop was located directly across Market St. from The Franklin Fountain, opposite historic Christ Church. A small bronze plaque on the 2nd Street subway station now marks the spot.
While they were planning their soda fountain, Eric and Ryan attended an exhibition of Jean Antoine Houdon, a French sculptor of the Enlightenment. Among the famous luminaries carved in marble, the boys were captivated by the bust figure of Benjamin Franklin created in 1779 {owned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art where it is on permanent view}. The life-size likeness of Franklin met Eric and Ryan face-to-face and spoke to them. Franklin’s life continues to inspire the Berley brothers in their pursuits, mixing entrepreneurial energy with creative tinkering and a dash of philosophy for a lasting legacy of positive accomplishments.
22 BEN FRANKLIN PRINT SHOP, PHILADELPHIA BLOCK & BUILDING
------Early Confectionery History ------The property you are currently resting your feet upon was originally granted by Pennsylvania’s Quaker Founder, William Penn, to his daughter Letitia. While Letitia stayed in England and never lived in Philadelphia, the courtyard which later became a street alongside The Franklin Fountain was named in her honor. By the 18th century, Letitia Court was home to a burgeoning community of shopkeepers, and of particular interest, two confectioners:
BENJAMIN JACKSON ADVERTISEMENT, 1757 Benjamin Jackson, one of the earliest chocolate makers in America, and Christopher Ludwick, a famed bread-baker for Washington’s army, who established a gingerbread shop on the court. By the Victorian period, many other confectioners, soda fountains and ice cream saloons were mixed into the block. Shane Confectionery (also now owned by the Berley Bros.) at 110 Market St. began as a fruiterer in 1863 and remains America’s Oldest Confectionery Shop, in continuous operation for over 150 years.
------Printers Row ------Down the center of Market Street (originally High Street) stood market sheds and stalls selling fresh produce, meats and other goods brought from the local countryside. Print and book binderies lined Market Street, this section being known as Printer’s Row. Here stood the print shops of luminaries Benjamin Franklin (across the street); John Dunlap, first to print the Declaration of Independence; Matthew Carey, who printed the first atlas and Roman Catholic bible in North America; and Robert Aitken, printer of the first English language bible in America at the order of the Continental Congress in 1782 (see historical marker nearby Shane Confectionery). FRONT AND MARKET STREET, CIRCA 1840 ------Retail History of our Building ------The building now home to The Franklin Fountain was built in 1898-99 and designed by Angus Wade Jr., a German-American architect, for his client Conrad Schwoerer. At the turn-of-the-century the building housed Schmidt’s Saloon on the ground floor and Charles Wheeler, printer, on the upper levels. By 1908, a coffee & tea roastery operated within and by the 1920s it may have housed a pharmacy, based on painted advertisements on the upper walls. These historic wall ads reveal a leather and sporting goods shop operating through the Depression into the 1950s, “Independence Ice Cream” in the 1960s, a health foods purveyor in the 1970s, an insurance brokerage, and most recently “Eroticakes III,” a specialty cake baker catering to the bachelor and bachelorette party trade. The Berleys continued the sweets tradition in 2003. ------Architecture of our Building ------The building was considered modern for 1899, employing steel I-beams and concrete construction, with large windows to allow for natural light to cast upon the print shops above. The building is faced with hard Roman brick and cased with decorative tin in a late Victorian blend of neo-classicism and colonial revival themes. Inside, the penny tile floors are original and have seen millions of customers trod their snowflake patterns, from the men standing at 116 MARKET STREET, CIRCA 1907 the saloon in 1899 to the lines of ice cream eaters today. The ceilings were installed circa 1905 and blend Adams-esque masks, gryphons and fruited urns with fleur-de-lis swags beading down the tin walls. At one point, the entire lower wall portion was faced in white Italian Carrera marble, although only one panel of this remains at the rear of the shop nearest the water closet (WC). What can be seen inside the Fountain today is 80% original to its appearance in the early 1900s. 23 WE’RE SERIOUS ABOUT YOUR HEALTH & HAPPINESS
The Franklin Fountain’s kitchen processes milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat and soy. Please notify a soda jerk if there’s someone in your party who has a food or nut allergy. We’ll do everything we can to provide a SAFE and ENJOYABLE experience.
CASH ONLY There is a cash machine at Old City Market, on the corner of 2nd & Market Sts. The REST ROOM is located behind the We also accept personal mirrored door at the rear of the Fountain checks. stencilled “W.C.” for Water Closet.
WATER & REFRESHMENT FREE ON TAP: During warm months, the vintage brass and cast iron water fountain on BOTTLED WATER & BOTTLED SODA: the Letitia Street sidewalk services all guests. Ice cold bottled water is available for Paper cups are available for your convenience. purchase in the coolers located in the front During cold months, an antique stoneware and the back of the shop, along with choice water cooler near the cash registers cold bottled sodas. serves unlimited paper cups of ice water.
PHOTOGRAPHY: No commercial COURTESIES TELEPHONES: Alexander Graham photography or videography is Bell never imagined personal telephones allowed. Please extend the courtesy GRATUITIES: Our soda jerks, back in 1876, and if he had, he surely of asking permission before taking dish-washers and floor managers rely would have built booths to photographs of the soda jerks. on tips for delivering stellar service. have private conversations No flash photography, please. Tips are shared evenly amongst these whilst speaking on them. Ask a soda jerk for a full staff. Please consider helping them Please be aware of your explanation of our while they sweat it out! Thank you. neighbors & surroundings photography policy. and extend them courtesies if you must be on the telephone.
DISHES, WASTE & RECYCLING DIRTY DISHES: This quick-service fountain is a self-bussing COMPOST: We are a restaurant, please bring your dirty dishes to the wash bins green business and care located outside during warm months and inside during cold about the Earth. Please months. Also, glass, plastic bottles and aluminum cans go in pitch your paper napkins, the dish bins for internal recycling. Your help is appreciated! straws, ice cream and cornstarch soda cups in the trash bins for compost.
24 WWW.FRANKLINFOUNTAIN.COM