The property at 1820 N 45th Street is a highly visible, prominent location within the Wallingford neighborhood. The building was constructed in 1922, and for decades it housed a drugstore. It was Bartell Drug, then for several years, Serve-U Drug, then back to Bartell’s. Rite Aid purchased Bartell Drug in 2020, which was unfortunately followed by the death spiral to bankruptcy filings and abandonment by Rite Aid in 2024. Bartell Drug had sold the building to Gillen Hall Lake East LLC in 2019, with a ten-year lease-back arrangement. Following Bartell’s sale to Rite Aid, Gillen Hall Lake East became the leaseholder, and they were ultimately listed as a creditor in Rite Aid’s bankruptcy filing. The loss of the Bartell Drug store was sorely felt by longtime Wallingforders. Wallyhood has previously published stories about this site:
- Bartell Building Sold (Dec 2019)
- Wallingford’s Bartell Drugs is Closing (Feb 2024)
- Bartells Building Follow-Up! (May 2024)
It had been comforting to have a local, family-owned business serving our community. If you look at the graphics on the utility box in front of QFC on N 45th Street, you can see children walking in the kiddie parade with the Bartell sign in the background.
With this vacancy, a constant battle is waged against graffiti, litter, property destruction, and other illicit activities that are attracted to this vacant site. This has proven to be a thorn in the side for the current owner and the surrounding neighbors, making this property the current neighborhood eyesore.
However, the good news is that development is now in the works for this location. As recently as October 2025, the permitting application process was established for the proposed demolition and master use of the property…