Centro Musical
5th and Lehigh
Site History
Centro Musical is a music and instrument shop that has been in el Centro de Oro since the 1960s. It was originally housed in Teatro Puerto Rico at 6th St. and Germantown Ave, it has been at the intersection of 5th and Lehigh since the early 1970s. The Gonzalez family started the business, and after three generations, Reinaldo Melendez took over the musical epicenter. This Puerto Rican-owned business contributes to the culture of the Lehigh Avenue corridor: as a place where residents come to reconnect with Puerto Rican identity, obtain community resources and information, and listen to great music. Catchy salsa and merengue tunes play from large speakers at Centro Musical for those traveling along Lehigh, inviting you to experience the neighborhood of gold.
Memories
Provided by Mrs. Jacqueline Lopez
"She would go there to buy the albums. Back then, records. We would always go to Centro Musical. There were a lot, I’m trying to remember. Every store was owned by a Hispanic. "
Works Cited
- Stigale, T (2013). “In the Heart of Gold.” Hidden City Philadelphia. https://hiddencityphila.org/2013/08/in-the-heart-of-gold/