A press release recently crossed our virtual desk, with a big Northern Liberties project that we somehow missed previously. Penn Herb Co., a store that specializes in herbal remedies (as the name suggests), has done business out of 603 N 2nd St. for generations. In the very near future, they will be demolishing their storefront, along with several other buildings that surround it, to construct a new building that will contain a new flagship store.

Current view

Rendering

The building, called Liberties Gateway, is designed by Harman Deutsch and will be three stories tall and will have about 35K sqft of interior space. Penn Herb will have the corner commercial space, and additional commercial space will be available for lease. Also, fourteen residential units will be available, with underground parking. This property will definitely make an impact on the entrance to Northern Liberties, and we’d imagine mean more visibility and more business for Penn Herb Company.

As we mentioned above, we’re a little surprised that we haven’t heard about this project previously. Somehow, we missed it as it went through the zoning channels earlier this year. But when the demolition begins soon, it will be hard for anybody, blogger, neighbor, or El rider, to ignore this significant project.