The Meglio Furs sign on Broad Street in South Philly has been taken down

Broad Street in South Philly has quietly lost a local landmark: the Meglio Furs sign.

Removal of the long-dormant neon sign at the southwest corner of Broad and Wharton began last week. As of Monday morning, the sign had been completely removed from the building’s facade.

The sign’s fate, as well as what business could be moving into the Meglio Furs space, currently remains unclear. The building’s owner, listed in city records as WP Wharton Properties LLC, did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Peter Zutter, president of the South Broad Street Neighborhood Association, said he was disappointed to see the sign being taken down. The group previously helped preserve the sign for the nearby Boot & Saddle but was unable to do the same with Meglio Furs. The sign for the Boot & Saddle received historic protection earlier this year, meaning that if an owner decides to tear down the building it is attached to, they would need to offer a plan to preserve the sign.

“I am hoping maybe the sign was carefully taken down and will be displayed somewhere else or refurbished and replaced, but with this developer, I doubt it,” Zutter said.

It is unclear when Meglio Furs initially opened, but references to the business date back to 1952 in The Inquirer’s archives. Also unclear is when the business closed, though OCF Realty reports that Meglio Furs ceased operations sometime around 2000.

City records indicate that the building was formerly owned by Salvatore and Carmela Meglio, and that the developer purchased it in summer 2020 for $1 million.

The building last made headlines in 2016, when vandals spray-painted racist graffiti and references to former President Donald Trump on its storefront and in other nearby areas.