We were in West Philly yesterday, and happened upon a building that's under construction near the corner of 42nd & Chestnut. For the last several years, 4204 Chestnut St. has been a vacant lot, with older buildings on either side. Now, according to the L&I Map and a sign on the property, a building with three apartments is coming soon. According to the permits that have been pulled, Ian Smith Design Group did the architecture work.
The surrounding properties have stood for over a hundred years, but have gone through some serious aesthetic changes as the years have rolled by. It's only our opinion, but those changes haven't exactly been for the best. 4202 Chestnut St. actually looks something like it originally did, as does 4208 Chestnut, but 4206 has been altered almost completely beyond recognition. Unfortunately, but in a reflection of modern design standards, the new building that's now under construction won't look like the building that once stood here.
Interestingly, the demolished structure at 4204 contained a deli and three apartments in the 1960s, according to the Zoning Archive. Does anyone remember when this building was demolished? Was a business in there til the end, or did it go back to purely residential use? Either way, it will soon be returning to residential use, ostensibly for Penn students looking to live close to campus.