In West Philly

Earlier this summer, news of development on a vacant property at 17 S 44th St. made a small commotion in West Philly when it was learned that the new building would cover over a neighborhood-driven mural which paid tribute to the local Ethiopian community. However, the fact that this building would

52nd Street in West Philly has been a commercial hub for many years. It's a street lined with various retailers, as well as street vendors hawking cell phone cases, clothing, and hats. Now some of the faded dull gray parking meters on the corridor, some broken, many with chipped paint,

Close to the University of Pennsylvania, the University of the Sciences, and across from Clark Park lies a block in the middle of a strange transition, seemingly led by one property owner. We last covered construction on the 1200 block of S 45th Street back in 2012 when a building on

The 400 block of Wiota Street is a rather quiet residential block in West Powelton, just north of the very bustling 4000 block of Baring Street. Prior to this decade, the street, and many of the surrounding blocks, were rife with vacant lots and structures. Now, due to its proximity

A recent commenter led us back to an interesting project which combined a surprisingly large number of units (twenty-four) with architecture that was meant to mesh with the neighboring structure. The building of interest is at 4213 Chester Ave.- we first mentioned the property last year when the dilapidated twin house

On this blog, we try to stick to development issues and generally try to stay out of the weeds when it comes to architecture. First, we don't have formal training in that department. Also, it's a subjective thing and can be a bit of a moving target. For example, today

Around the corner from the 4000 block of Baring Street, a block that's seen dozens of new student rental units appear over the last several years, it seems even more student apartments are on the way. Last week, we attended the ZBA presentation for 3900 Warren St., a large warehouse

On the stately streets of the Spruce Hill and Walnut Hill sections of West Philadelphia, some new construction projects show various development approaches. Last fall, we posted about 245 S. 45th St., which was undergoing demolition after years of vacancy. The property, which is owned by Glasberg Properties, is now

In West Philly, a trench laden with railroad tracks separates the Mantua and Parkside neighborhoods. Some north-south streets, like 40th Street, pass over the tracks. Others, like 39th Street, stop in Mantua and pick up again in Parkside. 41st Street stands alone in that it once allowed travel between the

This past winter, when Mission First Housing Group announced plans to demolish the burned out building at 4534-36 Spruce St. and construct affordable housing, there was a sigh of relief. Since catching fire in 2011, the building that previously hosted the Transition to Independent Living Center has sat unoccupied, a