Philadelphia YIMBY’s recent site visit has noted that construction work has topped-out at a four-story, single-family structure at 1744 Waterloo Street in Fishtown, Kensington. Located on the west side of the block between Cecil B. Moore Avenue and West Montgomery Avenue, the building will span a 500-square-foot footprint and will feature a full basement and a roof deck. Y & A Properties LLC is the listed owner.
1744 Waterloo Street. Credit: Google
1744 Waterloo Street. Looking northwest. Credit: Google
1744 Waterloo Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. February 2023
1744 Waterloo Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. February 2023
The construction progress is very impressive, as just last February we observed that foundation work was still in the finishing stages.
Like much of the surrounding neighborhood, the block has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past few years. As recently as 2016, roughly half of the lots sat vacant, ravaged by the depopulation and the ensuing sweeping demolitions of the postwar era. As of today, most of the block has been built up with dense construction, both in the form of modern rowhouses and large apartment buildings.
The narrow street, which measures just 23 feet wide, including sidewalks, has regained its canyon-like appearance from the prewar era, further amplified by the taller average height of new buildings, which rise three to four stories tall. The building will rise at one of the last remaining vacant sites on the block, filling the gap between two existing low-rise buildings, both exemplifying the predominant typologies on the block.
A three-story prewar rowhouse stands to the south at number 1742. To the north at number 1746 is a sleek, three-story residential building, which was built last year and which features a façade of dark brick, a paneled cantilever section, tall ceilings, and large windows, all hallmarks of contemporary Philadelphia rowhouse construction.
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Although the block has vastly improved, one thing has remained constant: sidewalk parking.