Permits Issued for Two Three-Unit Buildings at 2423 and 2425 West Thompson Street in Sharswood, North Philadelphia

Permits have been issued for the construction of a pair of three-story, three-unit rowhouses at 2423 and 2425 West Thompson Street in Sharswood, North Philadelphia. The site is situated on the north side of the block between North 24th Street and North 25th Street. Each structure will rise from a 1,000-square-foot footprint, contain 3,900 square feet of floor area, cost $300,000 to build, and feature full sprinkling and roof decks, which will provide sweeping skyline views. Permits list Harrison Inc. as both the owner and contractor, and Craig Deutsch as the designer.

The pair will replace the southern third of a large vacant lot that stretches from 2423 through 2433 West Thompson Avenue, spanning six standard rowhouse lots. The vacant lot was consolidated with the demolition of a rowhouse at 2429 West Thompson Street (still visible in the middle of the lot in the aerial below), which took place around 2019. The vacant site will extend further to the north once the rowhouse at 2435 West Thompson Street meets the wrecking ball, as YIMBY reported on the filing of permits for its demolition last year.

2423 and 2425 West Thompson Street. Looking north. Credit: Google

The demolitions show that the local trend of depopulation and land clearance, which began in the postwar period, continues to this day. As the result, vacant lots, once densely built out with rowhouses, now span much of Sharswood. However, the neighborhood’s fortunes are finally starting to turn around, with local construction seeing a notable uptick. A four-story residential building was built at 2437 West Thompson Street, near the northern end of the block, around 2019. Across the street, three three-story residential buildings were built at 2428, 2430, and 2436 West Thompson Avenue between 2014 and 2018.

Sharswood holds much potential for a full-scale revival. While vacant lots offer ample space for new development, the existing prewar building stock offers quintessential Philadelphia architecture, both in terms of residential buildings and houses of worship, which include the ornate, stone-clad United Baptist Church at 2500 West Thompson Street, half a block to the north of the proposal site.

Furthermore, the neighborhood is one of the most conveniently located in the entire city, as it sits at an equidistant point from Center City, University City, and Temple University, three of the city’s prime commercial and education hubs, located within a mile of each.

2423 and 2425 West Thompson Street. Credit: Google

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