Last year, we wondered how new construction, ostensibly for student housing, would fit into the context of the Diamond Street Historic District near Temple. At the time, we didn't realize that there's a second historically protected section of Diamond Street in Strawberry Mansion. The West Diamond Street Townhouse Historic District was established in the early 1990s and is actually pretty similar to its sister district to the east. It runs from the 3000 block through the middle of the 3200 block, and contains dozens of homes built in the Renaissance Queen Anne Victorian Eclectic style.
But today we look at a property that isn't actually in that historic district. 3217 W. Diamond St. is the first property after the district ends and had no particularly historic features, though it was an interesting building. We're using the past tense here because the building was recently demolished.
The building is owned by Diamond Phase III Venture, a subsidiary of Pennrose. Pennrose subsidiaries actually own a ton of properties in the historic district, having acquired and renovated them in the early 1990s, according to the book Affordable Housing Through Historic Preservation. Though we can appreciate why the now-demolished property wasn't included in the historic district, it's still a shame to see it gone. We're pretty sure the building had a twin next door at one point, which is a vacant lot owned by the Redevelopment Authority. We wonder, does the demolition mean that some larger affordable housing development could be in the works on both lots? No news on this yet, but we'll be on the lookout.
Meanwhile, if you find yourself in the area sometime (it is just half a block from Fairmount Park, after all), be sure to check out the impressive homes on Diamond Street. They're like nothing else in town. Except of course, for the homes in the other historic district down the street.