A new housing development is being proposed for the edge of Old City, on a vacant lot at Front and Willow Streets (just north of Callowhill).  The huge lot in question, 412 N Front St., sits on the western side of Front Street, and sits in the shadow of an onramp to I-95. Though this project is right near the southeastern section of Northern Liberties and also close to the Penn Treaty area that’s got real potential, the geography of this location will be a hurdle for the developers.

Despite the potential challenges inherent at this address, developer David Perlman has plans for 32 townhouse units, each with its own parking, interior courtyard outdoor space, and private green rooftop.  Each 1,700 to 1,900 SF townhouse would be 3 stories tall, with 3 bedrooms, and 2.5 baths.

Current image

Until a couple hundred years ago, Cohoquinoque Creek, or Pegg’s Run, used to run from 15th Street to the Delaware River, winding a path that’s now Willow Street.

See how wavy Willow Street used to be?

According to local Philly historian Harry Kyriakodis, the Creek was polluted and covered up sometime in the 1820’s (exact date is unclear) to become a road.  Then, the road became a railroad line, and the lot where town homes are now proposed was formerly a North Pennsylvania Railroad Company passenger depot station, which opened in 1855.  The line ran to Fort Washington, and in 1857, it was extended all the way to Bethlehem.  In 1864, this passenger depot was closed and moved to Germantown & Thompson.  Later, North Pennsylvania Railroad Company was purchased by Reading Railroad, which then went bankrupt.

Since the site was previously a railroad property, some Old City residents are under the impression that excavating the ground might result in some historic discoveries.  According to the City, the ground was basically untouched as a railroad depot and since it was only created around the 1820’s, the site would not legally need archeological work.

Zoomed in on the old depot

The Planning Commission gave approvals for this project back in May, and it will be going before the ZBA in the coming months, according to JKR Partners, the architects working on this development. We suspect we’ll be able to get renderings before these homes get built, and we’ll be sure to pass them along once they become available.