Naked Philly Blog Posts Archive - Page 3 of 635 - OCF Realty

Aug 27

1-2-3-4-5 New Sixers Arena on the Delaware River?

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Aug, 27, 2020 | No Comments | Old City

It was two years ago (but it feels like twenty) that we shared a story that the 76ers would be leaving the Wells Fargo Center at the expiration of their lease, with an eye toward building a new basketball-only stadium at the southwest corner of 30th & Market. Ambit Architecture had designed a gorgeous new building for the local basketball team, and even though the story correctly indicated a number of hurdles to the project, [...]
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Aug 26

Mixed-Use Project on 10th & Girard Getting a 2nd Phase and a New Look

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Aug, 26, 2020 | No Comments | West Poplar

It's been over a year since we last visited the south side of the 1000 block of W. Girard, so it's time for a couple significant updates. Before we look at the present and future though, let's just provide a quick reminder about the history of this property, in case you don't recall. The Althea Gibson Community Education and Tennis Center operated here between 2003 and 2013, providing a safe space for neighborhood children while teaching tennis skills. The facility closed [...]
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Aug 26

What’s Going On at 2nd & Quarry?

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Aug, 26, 2020 | No Comments | Old City

We were passing through Old City the other day and noticed what looked like construction activity at 200 Quarry St., a property that's been vacant for a number of years. Despite its recent empty run, the building has a rich history and dates back two centuries, and for much of the 20th century it was home to John Grass Wood Turning Company. According to WHYY, machines from the late 1800s were still being used to sculpt wood [...]
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Aug 24

Quintuplex Times Two Equals a Decaplex at 19th & Brown?

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Aug, 24, 2020 | No Comments | Francisville

In the early 1980s, the Philadelphia Housing Authority took over several blocks of Francisville via eminent domain, bulldozed over a hundred row homes, and constructed a collection of one-story homes which were offered for sale as workforce housing. Interestingly, despite the fact that the homes were rather small, they were located on sizable lots, with front yards big enough for parking and even bigger rear yards. By all accounts, this program was a success, as it provided affordable for-sale [...]
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Aug 21

Garden Court Plaza Will More Than Double Its Capacity With a Garage Addition

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Aug, 21, 2020 | No Comments | West Philly

We last covered the Garden Court Plaza building in early 2018, at which point we provided a little bit of history regarding the property on the northwest corner of 47th & Pine. A refresher, the building was commissioned in 1926 by Clarence Siegel, the developer that was responsible for many other buildings in the neighborhood. Originally, there were much more significant plans for this project, as Siegel intended the building to be the first of several which [...]
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Aug 20

1600 Block of Brown Loses Some Homes, Will Gain Some Apartments

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Aug, 20, 2020 | No Comments | Francisville

We found ourselves on the 1600 block of Brown Street the other day, diverted there thanks to some street closures in Francisville. As we were making our way down the block, we noticed some vacant lots right in the middle of the north side of the street which we didn't think had been sitting vacant for very long. Not only did we sort of remember there being homes there, but the non-stuccoed party walls on either side [...]
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Aug 19

Long Vacant Italian Market Lot Gets Converted to Outdoor Dining

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Aug, 19, 2020 | No Comments | Bella Vista

Waaaay back in 2011, we pointed out 1009-11 S. 9th St., a surprisingly vacant and (at that time) overgrown lot in the heart of the Italian Market. It was unbelievable that such a thing could exist in this vibrant pedestrian shopping area, and it was all the more frustrating that it looked so awful. We were further surprised when we learned that the property was owned by the Esposito family, which ('natch) owns the eponymous Esposito's Butcher [...]
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Aug 18

Access to Trader Joe’s on Market Street is Gonna Get Complicated Pretty Soon

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Aug, 18, 2020 | No Comments | Logan Square

A small corner of Logan Square is currently experiencing a massive transformation, and it's all thanks to the folks at PMC Property Group doubling and tripling down on their holdings in this part of the city. As you may recall, this developer is currently building the Riverwalk project, which consists of two towers that are currently under construction which will include 711 apartments and a grocery store. A couple weeks ago, we noted that this project was picking up [...]
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Aug 18

Buckley’s Garage Picks Up Windows and Some Apartments

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Aug, 18, 2020 | No Comments | Passyunk Square

A guy named Buckley built a garage at 621 Reed St. back in 1915 and liked it so much he decided to put his name on the front. Though the first floor has been used fairly consistently as a garage over the years, the upper floors were converted to a furniture storage facility during the middle of the 20th century. Perhaps in service of this business, the original window openings got filled in, with the infill brick [...]
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Aug 14

It Ain’t Wellshaus, But Delaware Ave. is Getting A Huge Project

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Aug, 14, 2020 | No Comments | Northern Liberties

918 N. Delaware Ave. has historically been a rather unassuming, if enormous property on the edge of Northern Liberties. This parcel has a tremendous amount of frontage on Delaware Avenue and then curves around in the rear along Canal Street, making for a property that's shaped like a ski slope. Back in the day, different industrial concerns operated here, with a sugar refinery, a salt manufacturer, and a wooden box company all doing business at [...]
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