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Wawa at 21st and Hamilton is closing, but not by choice

The store around the corner from the Rodin Museum will be replaced by a Chase Bank.

The Wawa at the corner of North 20th and Hamilton Streets in Philadelphia will not have its lease renewed.
The Wawa at the corner of North 20th and Hamilton Streets in Philadelphia will not have its lease renewed.Read moreAlejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

Another Philadelphia Wawa is closing, this one at 2000 Hamilton St. around the corner from the Rodin Museum and not far from the Barnes.

This is the seventh Wawa to shutter in the city since 2020, but unlike previous closures, the company wasn’t the impetus behind the move.

“While we don’t have any other details available, we can say that we were not offered a lease renewal at this location,” said Lori Bruce, a spokesperson for Wawa.

On Monday, a zoning permit pulled by the owner, Rodin Market Partners, showed that the Wawa will be transformed into a Chase Bank.

Wawa has occupied the retail space at 2000 Hamilton since the 1980s, long before Rodin Market Partners acquired the property. The convenience store company’s lease is set to expire at the end of September.

“We had a lot of very strong interests in that corner for much higher rents, and Chase Bank made a compelling offer,” said Samuel Newman, with Loddington Management, who is the asset manager for the property. “We’re looking to elevate all of the retail offerings. The neighborhood has changed substantially, and there’s a lot more interest from national tenants and a more diverse mix.”

Wawa has attributed its larger exodus from Philadelphia, and the Center City area in particular, on increased public and worker safety concerns since the pandemic. Last year, a Wawa on Headhouse Square, just off of South Street, closed after neighbors complained that it attracted crime and aggressive panhandling.

But Daniel P. McElhatton, of the Logan Square Neighborhood Association, says that the 2000 Hamilton closure is not welcome news and that he’s never received any complaints about it from his membership.

“I live within walking distance, and I would patronize it,” said McElhatton, president of the community organization. “I’m a little disappointed. Getting to have Chase Bank as a neighbor is also good. They’ll be a responsible tenant too. I just don’t know how good their coffee is going to be.”

This story has been updated to correct the location of the Wawa.