Their First Century in Business The time and place was the burgeoning City of Philadelphia in 1909. Jacob Kahn couldn't help but notice the profusion of automobiles radically altering the lifestyles of those around him. He also possessed a great enthusiasm for building and developing land into something profitable and useful for the demands of the marketplace. Meeting those demands, Jacob spearheaded the development of numerous automobile dealerships along Chestnut Street and Broad Street, Philadelphia's original car shoppers' corridors. His development portfolio grew to include low-rise urban office buildings, highlighted by the Bell Telephone Building constructed at the corner of 19th and Arch Streets.