In West Philly

The folks at the University City District have set a fine example on how to take a small project and make it grow. From The Porch at 30th Street Station, which started with a single grant and now has programming all summer, to the new Tree Seats they're poised to

Old beautiful churches demolished for high-rise development. It could be a headline about elements of redevelopment occurring across Philadelphia. But on Penn's campus at 38th & Chestnut, Philadelphia Episcopal Church was saved (it has been claimed) because of a trade; two historic brownstones at the site were demolished and a tower will rise

It was an obituary that ultimately provided the information that led to the transformation of a blighted home near 49th & Baltimore instead of its demolition on the taxpayer's dollar. Detective work from Project Rehab reached all the way to Brooklyn, and in the end a home that had collapsed in on itself everywhere

We couldn't tell you how long ago a one-story structure appeared at the corner of 34th & Hamilton, which until recently was home to a deli and a laundromat. We can tell you though, with great certainty, that said building is now a pile of rubble. And architecturally at least,

We always like to see a building reused rather than torn down and replaced with new construction. That's why we were so excited last summer when we learned that the Vineyard Community Church was purchasing a former church at 123 S. 51st St. which was originally a fire department second responders building. We

The last few days have been agonizingly hot to the point that leaving an air conditioned home, office, or car quickly seemed like a sweaty bad idea. Today, the skies are a little gray and we've seen a little rain fall, but we're finally getting a respite from the high

Over the years, several readers have asked us about the unexpectedly vacant lot on the 4000 block of Spruce Street in West Philly. The eastern end of this block is the end of Penn's campus, and includes a Dental School building. And there's an arcade over there too! By the

Last summer, we brought a vacant building and some vacant lots at the corner of 42nd & Chester to your attention. We noted that both the building and the lots seemed like nice development opportunities, given their proximity to Clark Park and University of the Sciences. So it was with no

Remember last summer, when we told you that a 7-11 had closed at 38th & Chestnut, and expressed surprise because those places never seem to close? At the time, we wondered what would replace the convenience store, speculating that the building would be demolished and replaced by a new apartment

A little over a year ago, we brought the Sedgley apartment building, located at 45th & Pine, to your attention. Back then, the castle-like structure was in the very early stages of a renovation which would see the interior gutted and rebuilt, and the exterior worked on as well. A little