Naked Philly Blog Posts Archive - Page 3 of 595 - OCF Realty

Oct 26

Inside the Lobby of the New Comcast Technology Center

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Oct, 26, 2018 | 2 Comments | Logan Square

We were down at L&I the other day and got what we were looking for much more quickly than expected, and found ourselves with some time to kill in the heart of Center City. We took the opportunity to amble over to the new Comcast Technology Center, which was bustling with activity even through it's not yet completely finished. A reminder, in case you don't recall, this 60-story building is the tallest structure in Philadelphia and [...]
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Oct 25

New Building Filling Long Vacant Lot on 2nd Street, With Demo Across the Street

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Oct, 25, 2018 | 1 Comment | Northern Liberties

It wasn't so long ago that Northern Liberties was a hip, edgy neighborhood, slowly emerging from its industrial past. With the construction of the Piazza and an avalanche of additional 'for sale' homes over the last decade plus, the neighborhood has taken a turn for the bougie and lost much of its scrappiness. All the while, 2nd Street has taken shape as a vibrant commercial corridor, offering an increasing number of amenities for neighborhood residents and [...]
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Oct 24

Block of N. Marston Street Should See Lots of Construction Very Soon

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Oct, 24, 2018 | No Comments | Brewerytown

Brewerytown has undeniably experienced a wave of growth over the last several years, seeing developers renovate blighted buildings, develop vacant land, and reinvigorate a latent commercial corridor. The concentration of development has occurred in the vicinity of said commercial corridor, West Girard Avenue, and slowly moved northward into the neighborhood. Over the years, we've covered a variety of projects in Brewerytown, with the vast majority occurring south of Jefferson Street, but a few stretching all the [...]
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Oct 23

Changes Abound Around 15th & Parrish, And More Are Coming

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Oct, 23, 2018 | No Comments | Francisville

We were in Francisville the other day and as we stood at the 15th & Parrish intersection, it struck us just how much change this immediate area has seen over the last several years. The parcel that really drove this home for us was 1501 Parrish St., a property that was, some number of years ago, a tiny urban gas station. We only remember this property as an abandoned gas station, and we wonder whether [...]
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Oct 22

Monk’s is Getting a Shiny New Neighbor

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Oct, 22, 2018 | 1 Comment | Rittenhouse

If you're into beer and/or french fries and/or mussels, we're hoping you've visited Monk's Cafe at some point during its twenty-one year run on 16th Street just north of Spruce. Not that we think it's going anywhere anytime soon- the place is a Philadelphia landmark and there are some that would consider it to be at least on par with the Liberty Bell in terms of national importance. Given its role in developing the beer scene in this [...]
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Oct 19

Cherry Street Pier Adds a Sweet New Public Space to the Delaware Waterfront

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Oct, 19, 2018 | 2 Comments | Old City

Long before we were born, and surely before you were born as well, the Delaware River was the commercial engine of Philadelphia. Even into the 20th century, factories operated along the waterfront and ships ran cargo to and from piers up and down the river. In 1919, the City of Philadelphia built Municipal Pier No. 9 just south of the yet unbuilt Ben Franklin Bridge, in an effort to goose the local economy that was still recovering from the [...]
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Oct 18

Check Out This Adaptive Reuse Candidate on College Ave.

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Oct, 18, 2018 | 4 Comments | Brewerytown

We were on our way to Brewerytown the other day, and a building we'd never noticed before caught our eye as we were traveling up 20th Street. From 20th & Girard, it looks like a regular enough brick building that's just a bit taller than its neighbors. Upon closer inspection though, we realized that the structure at 2000 S. College Ave. is rather unique, both in terms of shape and architectural details. To put a [...]
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Oct 17

Surprise! Demo Permit For 1101 Chestnut Street

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Oct, 17, 2018 | 6 Comments | Market East

Surprisingly little ink has been spilled regarding 1101 Chestnut St., a monolithic, beige colored structure that covers the entire north side of the block. If you think about it you can probably figure out that this building houses a parking garage on its upper floors, joining a collection of retail tenants on the first floor. It was constructed during the first couple years of World War II by the Chestnut Street Association, designed by Ballinger, and it originally housed an annex [...]
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Oct 16

Massive Development Planned on the Edge of Port Richmond

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Oct, 16, 2018 | 7 Comments | Port Richmond

Investment opportunities cross our desk on a fairly regular basis, but the vast majority of them are unworkable for any number of reasons. Most commonly, properties are simply overpriced, making redevelopment financially impossible. Other opportunities have a financial path, but only with a zoning variance that we don't have perfect confidence the ZBA would grant. Geography also comes into play, as we have to take into account the immediate neighbors as well as the surrounding neighborhood. For many [...]
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Oct 15

Small Block in South Kensington Picking Up Some New Residents

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Oct, 15, 2018 | No Comments | South Kensington

The 1300 block of N. Orianna St. is not your typical block, but that doesn't really come as much of a surprise in this part of South Kensington, where unusual blocks probably outnumber typical blocks. The east side of this block is dominated by two-story homes that date back to the mid-1960s that we suspect were built as an affordable housing development. The homes definitely have an urban renewal vibe, as they're set back from [...]
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