In Bella Vista

In every neighborhood, some buildings exist as leftovers, hold outs from another era. Sometimes these properties, with the proper attention, become neighborhood assets. Examples in Bella Vista include the apartments at the former De Pazzi School at 7th & Christian and the Bank of Italy building at 7th & Fitzwater,

Have you been to 7th & Kimball lately? Remember, a couple of years ago, we visited this corner and wondered about a facade-less building that had apparently sat vacant for years. In fact, we discovered that the adjacent three properties, owned by the same family since the 1930s, had likewise

Remember Triangle Park? A few years ago, some neighbors created a green space on a triangular vacant lot at the intersection of E. Passyunk Avenue and Christian and S. 6th Streets, a site that was once a gas station. Just a couple of years agoIn 2011, the Redevelopment Authority was going to buy the land

We last visited the Nebinger School at 6th & Carpenter two summers back, when construction was taking place to dramatically improve the school's stormwater management. That project included a rain garden and the addition of an underground water basin, and was completed for the 2013-14 school year. Currently, those improvements

Around the residential neighborhoods, we generally see buildings that are either two or three stories tall. Then we'll also see some four-story buildings, homes that generally arrived on the scene either a hundred years ago or in the last twenty years. One story buildings, we confess, we don't see so

Some days we're just amazed at how long we've been doing this. Today is such a day. Waaaaay back in November of 2011, we first told you about plans for four homes at 808 Carpenter St., a green project called The Olive Townhomes. This was exciting at the time, as

Over the summer, we shared the news that Lily Development was planning seven new homes over the 700 blocks of Bainbridge and Kater Streets. Some kind of residential development on these parcels makes perfect sense. 739-41 Bainbridge St. was an unattractive garage for many years that's now been demolished. 734-38

For at least the last decade, a building near the corner of 8th & Washington has stuck out like a delightfully sore thumb. The squat building that was home to the New Golden Palace Restaurant would have probably fit in much better in Las Vegas than a block from the

A few years ago, James closed after five successful years at 824 S. 8th St. when their lease ended. And we wondered what would replace this popular restaurant, located just a block from the Italian Market. In September of 2012, The Mildred took over the former James space, only to close

The northeast corner of 8th & Fitzwater has played a central part in defining its Bella Vista neighborhood for almost 200 years.  Its story begins in 1832, when, according to Philadelphia Buildings, a school serving both boys and girls was constructed on the spot.  The Ringgold Grammar School is shown here below