In Bella Vista

The Protestant Episcopal Church of the Crucifixion was organized in 1847 as the second predominantly African-American Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, settling into a church building at 807 Bainbridge St. in 1884. Architect Isaac Pursell designed the building, which doesn't come as much of a surprise considering that he designed countless churches in

Given its prominent Bella Vista locale, you wouldn't necessarily expect a whole lot of change on the 700 block of Carpenter Street. Despite experiencing a few huge projects in recent years, this neighborhood is incredibly well established and we simply don't see that many development opportunities around here. Sure, maybe

Waaaay back in 2011, we pointed out 1009-11 S. 9th St., a surprisingly vacant and (at that time) overgrown lot in the heart of the Italian Market. It was unbelievable that such a thing could exist in this vibrant pedestrian shopping area, and it was all the more frustrating that it

It was way back in 2013 that we wondered about 943 Washington Ave., a clearly reused industrial property that was home to a discount furniture store. We did a little digging and learned that the property had been used by coal interests since the late 1800s, eventually owned by the William Bryant Coal

As we've detailed over the years, Bella Vista and Queen Village both possess some unique features from a street grid perspective, owing to their status as older neighborhoods. For reasons we can only guess, surveyors established a number of tiny streets in these neighborhoods when they plotted the grid way back when, so

We have mixed emotions about the 800 block of Kimball Street. On the positive side of the ledger, it's located right off the Italian Market and anyone that lives there has easy access to inexpensive produce and tasty meats and cheeses. The other end of the block however, always feels a

St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, located on the 700 block of Montrose Street, is a gorgeous church with a rich history. Per Philaplace, it was the first Italian national parish in America when it was formed in 1852, and served as a cultural center for the immigrant community. As the

Bella Vista is such a settled neighborhood, it hardly sees much development activity these days. When it does, most projects are one-off homes getting renovated or rebuilt after longtime owners move on, in one way or another. It's precisely because the neighborhood is so settled that any slightly underused property

We've been pretty direct in our complaints about surface parking lots over the years, lamenting that they never represent the highest and best use for a property. To be clear, this isn't just a matter of us spouting urbanist rhetoric, though most urbanists would surely agree that surface parking lots are

For whatever reason, Bella Vista seems to have more than its share of narrow little streets that are perfect for pedestrians but miserable for cars. We've explored some of these little blocks over the years, drawing your gaze to the hidden 600 block of Kenilworth Street, and showing off projects on