Cecil B. Moore Avenue has seen all kinds of changes in recent years, as the neighborhood close to Temple University has experienced an unprecedented wave of development. Walking down this street, you can see a mix of older buildings that have survived for about a hundred years and new structures which are generally used for student housing. Slowly, we're seeing demolition for some of the older buildings that have not been well maintained. And the other day we spotted another one that looks like it will soon come down.

Former cleaners

1700 Cecil B. Moore Ave. was once a cleaners and it retains some of the old signage. The projecting sign at the corner is pretty great and the "Frequent Cleaning Adds Beauty and Long Life" on the side of the building is amazing. But the newest sign on the building is perhaps the most interesting. It's a Notice of Demolition. Developers bought the property late last year for $235K and have pulled permits to tear it down. We don't know about their plans for the property, but they interestingly have listed the property for sale since a month after they bought it.

In either direction, there's a bunch of newer properties.

Newer buildings to the west

To the east, Columbia Deli looks rough but there are new buildings next door

To the west, new buildings with shiny bay windows popped up last year, replacing a vacant lot. These properties each have a bunch of apartments above retail spaces but it doesn't look like the retail spaces are occupied. It will be interesting to see if they ever find commercial tenants. In the other direction, you see the Columbia Deli is still kicking despite the fact that the building looks like it's on the verge of collapse. Next door, developers tore down some blighted structures back in 2013 and new buildings have sprung up in their place. Looking at permits, some kind of grocery is slated to come into a combined retail space.

So the changes to this street keep on going as the students keep pouring in. Whether the retail continues to follow remains an open question, and we'll have to see what the next few years will bring.