In West Philadelphia, as the Baltimore Avenue commercial corridor has strengthened, it has continued to crawl west block by block. The relocation of the Mariposa Coop to 48th & Baltimore in the spring of 2011 marks one of the more prominent landmarks in the corridor’s westward crawl from Clark Park to Cedar Park.

Mariposa

Since then, The Marvelous! and Little Baby’s Ice Cream (actually at Catharine Street, about 20 yards away) have joined the 4900 block, Seeds Gallery opened on the 5000 block, and there are plans in the works for two new restaurants on that same block, including a jazz club at 5037 Baltimore Ave. and Babylon Bistro (from the owners of Seeds Gallery and Aksum) just a few doors down.

Restaurant coming soon

Right around the corner from all these happenings, a corner property is being renovated at 701 S. 51st St., at the southeast corner of 51st & Catharine.

In the past

Under construction

In January, permits were issued for two apartments here. With rents along Baltimore Avenue jumping to unprecedented heights, it stands to reason that rents are probably coming up on nearby streets like Catharine. According to Saba Tedla, owner of Seeds Gallery and Aksum, her one-bedroom apartments above Babylon Bistro will start at $750/mo. Baltimore Avenue and its surroundings have become a trendy place to live, and renovation of homes like this are an indication of the strength of the this growing commercial corridor. And if similarly designed properties around the corner ever get rehabbed, look for Baltimore Ave. to get even better.

Blight at the corner of 51st & Baltimore

–Lou Mancinelli