We've lost count of the number of churches that have been demolished by developers in recent years in favor of residential development. We've seen it in the Graduate Hospital neighborhood (repeatedly), West Poplar, Francisville, and may soon see it happen in Fishtown. Though it's surely happened, we can't recall a situation where a church has been torn down in favor or a purely commercial endeavor, but that's exactly what's happened at 40th & Sansom, just off Penn's campus. When we last visited the site, the handsome stone Methodist Episcopal Church had just come down.
At the time, we reminded you that P&A Associates, the guys that built the Murano, were planning a one-story commercial building for this site, with room for retailers like a pizza shop and a froyo place. We expressed disappointment that such a nice building was being swapped for a retail-only structure without any residential component. Especially with the Radian almost next door, some height for this location seems like a no-brainer. Alas, here's what we'll be stuck with for a couple of generations:
The building looks almost comical in the shadow of the more appropriately scaled Radian. We wonder why the developers didn't opt for something taller, considering the still-booming market for student rentals in the area. It just seems like a missed opportunity, no?
Meanwhile, just half a block away at 40th & Chestnut, the second Hub building is finally under construction after years of delays. In contrast to the new building at 40th & Sansom, this structure will include apartment units above ground-floor retail. You know, the model that seems to work so well all over town.
Oh well, can't win 'em all.