On the southeast corner of Front and Master Streets sits a giant stone structure, seemingly untouched by time.

The building, with a large inscription reading Wm. Mulherin Sons, was once a whiskey distillery and distribution center. Formerly owned by the Mulherin’s, this Irish Catholic family started out in South Philadelphia but moved to Kensington sometime in the 1870s, living at 1409 N. Front Street.

According to information provided in the Philadelphia City Directories, William Mulherin appears to have started up his liquor business at Front and Master sometime at the end of 1889. There were at least three sons who joined William at first: Andrew, Arthur and John, with a fourth son, Frank, joining the family business later on.

When prohibition started in 1919, the family tried to rebrand in order to hold their business over. In 1922, the family was seen in the directory in the soft drink business — an obvious result of Prohibition. As the prohibition of liquor persisted in American until the Twenty-First Amendment repealed it in 1933, the Mulherin business was ceased production.

More than 80 years later, Mulherin and Sons is finding new life. With the closing of Il Pittore in his wake, chef Chris Painter will be part of Wm. Mulherin’s Sons, an Italian restaurant that will be located at 1355 N. Front Street, across from the El Bar at the corner of Front and Master Streets. Their chief executive, Randall Cook, describes the food to Philly.com as “urban, wood-fired Italian.”

Though the restaurant’s title and offering seem mismatched, it’s a way to preserve the history of the building. In the same vein, Philly.com explains that new ownership performed a detailed restoration, restoring many of the details originally present. The building, untouched, essentially, since Prohibition, was acquired with a garage, the wall demolished to combine the spaces.  

The restaurant has wood-fired grills and ovens, and the pizzas will be products of  Jonah Fliegelman and Nathan Winkler-Rhoades, who own pizza truck Pitruco and are behind Enjay’s pizza at University City’s Smokey Joe’s. All of Wm. Mulherin’s Sons’ products are to be house-made. The restaurant may be open as soon as this month.