Permits Issued for Seven-Unit Building at 717 North 41st Street in Belmont, West Philadelphia

Permits have been issued for the construction of a three-story, seven-unit building at 717 North 41st Street in Belmont, West Philadelphia. The new structure will replace a three-story prewar rowhouse located on the east side of the block between Olive Street and Lancaster Avenue. The development will include a roof deck, which promises to offer dramatic skyline views of nearby University City and Center City. Permits list West Girard LLC as the owner, Francesco Zampetti as the design professional, and Eugene Naydovich of Fitler Development as the contractor. Construction costs are specified at $200,000.

While any destruction of the city’s prewar rowhouse stock is generally unfortunate, the building at the site has definitely seen better days and its demolition will not be a significant loss. The street-facing facade is an ungainly combination of painted, misaligned brick on the lower floors and stucco above. If the building ever had an ornamented cornice, it had long since been replaced with a plain, poorly-aged replacement. The rear exterior shows signs of severe weathering. Given the building’s current condition, it appears that it would have been prohibitively expensive to restore in either case.

717 North 41st Street. Looking northeast. Credit: Google Maps

An arguably greater concern is the proposed building’s modest scale. While we understand that not every parcel calls for a block-busting development, a case for greater height and density can easily be made given the site’s prime location just off the bustling Lancaster Avenue commercial corridor, steps away from a stop of the route 10 trolley and the route 43 bus, and within 15-minute walking distance both to University City to the southwest and Fairmount Park to the north. Given these assets, it is not unreasonable to call for an increase in development density in the immediate surrounding area.

717 North 41st Street. Credit: Google Maps

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