The P.A. and S. Small hardware store and headquarters for the firm's vast 19th century enterprises presides over market day. (Drawing courtesy of York County Heritage Trust.)
It is a case where the city should have left well enough alone.
The P.A. and S. Small building on the northeast corner of Market and George in York (see photo above) certainly outranks its successors as a fit for York's downtown... .
A modern-for-its-day G.C. Murphy's building was a successor to the building housing Small's venerable hardware store and company headquarters. Then the current modern glass structure, for years home of the chamber of commerce, replaced Murphy's. That building is now up for auction. See Prime Spot on the Block.
Sometimes, buildings gain with age, but Small's never got the chance. A good lesson from the past for developers today.
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