Poetic Obituaries: In 1956, when Mrs. [Esther] Halpern and

her husband, Edward, were newlyweds, they opened the Gilded Cage at 21st and Rittenhouse Streets. They sold espresso for 25 cents a cup. Ed Halpern assembled the corned beef sandwiches and Mrs. Halpern made onion soup--the first in Philadelphia to have a thick cheese crust, she told an Inquirer reporter in 1981.

Young people flocked to the coffeehouse to read poetry, play chess, and listen to the music.

from The Philadelphia Inquirer: Esther Halpern, 79, coffeehouse operator and musician

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