![]() Maidhof believes he has another month before he’ll have to move his tables come, each of which weigh about 2,000 pounds, and all the memorabilia of tournaments gone by. The best players in the world have been in here,” said Mark Semerjian, who grew up in Upper Darby but now lives in Garnet Valley. “I started coming here when I first started playing pool. This pool hall kept us out of trouble,” said Russell Parsons as he played with Ken Harmon of Narberth, also a longtime regular. I’m going to miss it,” said Chuck Masciantonio of Springfield. On Wednesday afternoon, there were 20-25 people playing some of the 20 tables. There are also some serious players who like to compete. We had one guy come in, he was 100 years old and we have fathers bring their little kids in to play,” he said. Maidhof said pool is a great activity for all ages and the atmosphere at the club is very friendly. Maidhof said pandemic closures cost him 5 1/2 months of income but he has absorbed those costs himself. “I have some other spots within a couple mile radius in mind right now. It’s been a long time and a lot of history here,” he said. I’m trying to stay very local for my regulars. Maidhof said his club won’t be part of the Drexeline as the costs would be prohibitive. ![]() He met his wife Susan when she came to Florida on a spring trip and they lived there 14 years before landing in Broomall. I tried to put together a place that was family friendly as well as competitive.” We have pool leagues and a weekly tournament as well as some championship tournaments we do once or twice a year. ![]() “I said if I ever open a poolroom, I want it to be where everyone can come and enjoy, and I think I did it,” he said, “We’ve established this place. Some of the places he visited he sarcastically called “winners.” ![]() He spent his younger years visiting pool halls around the country, hustling to make it as a professional. Maidhof, who was born in Fort Lauderdale and is known in the pool world as “‘Florida Bob,” was a professional pool player himself. “At any given time, we had the best players in the world here – big tournaments and pretty good memories here.” We’ll try to find someplace else and make it just as special,” said Maidhof. “This has been a real special place to a lot of people. On a recent afternoon, 20 or more customers were chalking cues and running the tables. The Drexeline Billiard Club, which Maidhof opened in 1989, is hidden at the rear of the property, unknown to most of the thousands of cars that pass by each day. While the project is an improvement for the township, it means change for Bob Maidhof and his billiard hall, which is the last remaining business in the old strip mall. “We are more than excited to start construction on what will be a staple within this community for decades to come.” “MCB and our partners at the Hampshire Companies look forward to continuing our close working relationship with Upper Darby as we move our focus to leasing the 20,000 square-feet of retail shop space,” he said. “I thank township council for their support in proceeding with the plans, and we are looking forward to what will be created by this project, including new jobs, improved roads, and an enhanced hub for public transit.” “Drexeline is Upper Darby’s largest redevelopment project in 25 years, and it will be of tremendous benefit to the community,” said Mayor Barbarann Keffer in a press release. MCB Real Estate, based in Maryland, purchased the property in 2016 and appeared before the zoning board in 2018 for variances. The project should be fully completed in mid-2024. The final phase of the project is slated to begin in the fall of 2022 and will include a new market-rate, multi-family residential building and multi-use trail along the Darby Creek, as well as a new self-storage facility. Phase 1 of the development, located on State Road at Township Line Road is scheduled to begin in April and includes a new 72,000 square foot ShopRite, 14,000 square feet of retail space and a new Wawa, all expected to open in the fall of 2022 pending additional state and federal approval.Īn existing PNC bank branch will be renovated with an additional 6,400 square feet along State Road. UPPER DARBY -In a unanimous vote held recently Upper Darby Township Council granted final approval for the Drexeline Redevelopment Project to move ahead.
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