In Northern Liberties

Roughly a thousand years ago, we first told you about one of our least favorite architectural eyesores in the city. The former Liberty Shopping Plaza at the northwest corner of 5th & Spring Garden was about as appealing as a pile of cinderblocks. Now that we think about it, the

For a corner that currently consists of an unremarkable warehouse that's no longer in active use, we sure have spent a lot of time talking about the southwest corner of 2nd & Poplar over the years. In the past, the corner consisted of a handsome-but-seemingly-vacant three-story building that came down

For a project that has been as exhaustively covered as the Piazza Terminal, it has been nearly impossible to actually get a decent look at it as construction has progressed. Awkwardly crouching with angled arms taking pictures through fences is one of our favorite pastimes after all, so trust us on

We don't spill too much virtual ink on the section of Northern Liberties between 5th Street, 7th Street, Brown Street, and Poplar Street, and for a good reason. This area was built up in the 1960s as part of an urban renewal effort in which all of the existing housing

There was considerable handwringing in the river wards, to say the least, when the PA Gaming Control Board granted a casino license to a group planning a gambling hall at 1001 N. Delaware Ave., at the site of the former Jack Frost Sugar Refinery back in 2006. After a few

We are now at about three years of total vacancy at the southwest corner of 3rd & Girard, a site we've visited a few times before on this website. Historically, there was a bar at the corner, most recently occupied a place cleverly called, uh, 3rd & Girard Bar. The

We last looked at the southeast corner of 4th & Girard a little less than a year ago, noting that local pizza joint Trios would soon be closing after about a decade holding down this corner. At the time, we noted that Trios occupied a sub-optimally utilized property on the

About a month and a half ago, we told you that a big change was in store for 416 Spring Garden St., a 1.5 acre property which is currently home to a one-story building and a surface parking lot. The building has been the headquarters of Northeast Treatment Centers since at least the

The 900 block of N. Marshall Street sits on the western border of Northern Liberties and has had itself a fascinating century. Back in the day, this stretch was a bustling commercial corridor, full of shops and pushcarts not unlike the Italian Market. Philaplace gives a lovely telling of the history of the street, and

As is the case on several blocks in Northern Liberties, the south side of the 400 block of Fairmount Avenue has seen some major changes over the last decade. Starting at 414 Fairmount Ave. and moving west, all of the properties on the south side have turned over during that time, with