As early as last year, 4923 Osage Ave. was a vacant, debris-filled mess with its rear wall caving in. Now it's an entirely renovated home that’s listed on the market for $349,900. The turnaround was facilitated by Project Rehab, an initiative launched in 2011 by the forward-thinking innovative group at

It's amazing to reflect that just a couple of years ago, the development frontier in northern Point Breeze was Wharton Street. Now, we've seen all kinds of proposals south of Wharton, notably the fifty home project proposed between Wharton and Reed on their 2000 blocks. And of course there are

The northeast corner of 5th & South has come to reflect the identity of its surrounding neighborhood at various points in history, beginning as far back as 1775.  This is when, according to the Library Company of Philadelphia, English gentleman Charles Hurst erected his estate.  At this juncture, according to The Black Bottom,

A reader checked in the other day and gave us the heads up about three projects worth visiting near Grays Ferry & Carpenter. So visit we did and here's what we found:New triplex on Grays FerryAbout two years ago, Metro Impact built the three-condo unit building pictured above on the

Sometime in the last few months, the Lucky Food Market on the southwest corner of 17th & Federal got an exterior makeover, changed their name, and got some new signage. Nobody would argue that they were in need of this upgrade.A couple years backNow, the building looks much better and the

On West Girard in Brewerytown, a number of ongoing renovations are poised to contribute to the renewal of the commercial corridor. Perhaps the most endearing project is the conversion of the slightly bruised historic former St. Augustine Church, built in 1888, on the northwest corner at 27th & Girard, into

It was over two years ago that we first spotted earth moving around on the 800 block of N. American Street, next to the vacant former Ortlieb's Brewery buildings. For quite some time after, it was radio silence for this property. But in late 2012, new owners purchased 824-36 N.

1601 Latona St. has looked terrible for years. The other day, we found out from a reader that the property could soon be making a comeback. Passing by yesterday, we spotted zoning notices on the property.Coming down Latona St.From across the streetAccording to the L&I Map, there's a plan out

A couple of years ago, then Council-President Verna introduced a bill that banned three story homes in Point Breeze which was quickly buried by a wave of opposition. The new zoning code, when it came out a year and a half ago, required that new three-story homes adjacent to existing

When we bought a coffee table there fifteen years ago, Uhuru Furniture felt like it very much belonged on the 1200 block of Spruce Street. "Midtown Village" was barely an idea in Tony Goldman's mind, and the Gayborhood had a much grittier vibe in general. But a decade and a