On our way to grab some delicious and honest tacos in West Philly, we happened upon an unexpected construction site at the corner of 45th & Pine. The Sedgley Apartments have stood for one-hundred years, far longer than the adorable Earth Cup has held down the retail space across the street. The Romanesque Revival building was designed by A. Lynn Walker, and is a contributing structure to the Spruce Hill Historic District.

The building

From the north

As you can see, there’s fencing and a dumpster out front, and several windows have been popped out. So there’s clearly some demolition going on inside, which is confirmed by a permit that was pulled last month. No additional permits have been pulled for the property as of yet, so we can’t tell you the exact plans that new owners 400 S 45th St LLC have for the property. Will they turn the building condo? Will they go the route of upscale rentals? With students galore in the area, and particularly grad students as you head this far west, we can certainly see the benefit of some higher-end rental units.

Sedgley's close-up

Can anyone who lives in the area fill in the blanks regarding the state of the building prior to its recent sale? Was it in active use, or had it been vacant? If it was in use, was it in halfway decent shape, or was the upcoming renovation long overdue? If anyone happened to have been inside in recent years, were there any original details remaining that are now being eliminated, or had previous alterations eliminated them altogether?

Hopefully, once the renovation of the interior is complete, it will match the attractiveness and grandeur of the exterior. Insofar as granite countertops and stainless steel appliances can have the same emotional impact as grandiose and impressive architecture, that is.