Permits have been issued for the construction of a four-story, eight-unit apartment building at 1203 North 41st Street in East Parkside, West Philadelphia. The new structure will replace a vacant lot on the east side of the block between West Girard Avenue and Parkside Avenue. Designed by KJO Architecture, the structure will span 7,265 square feet and feature a cellar. Permits list Kevin Smith of KDSJ Redevelopment as the contractor and specify a construction cost of $662,175.
The building will measure 18 feet wide and will extend 96 feet long, leaving space for a nine-foot-deep, 162-square-foot backyard. A 18-by-eight-foot courtyard will open onto the south side of the property. The structure will rise 38 feet high to the main roof; no pilot house will be included, as the roof (accessible via a service hatch) will not feature a resident-accessible roof deck.
Built across from the grounds of Philadelphia’s Centennial Exposition of 1876, the first official world’s fair to be held in the United States, East Parkside, also known as the Centennial District, once sat replete with some of the most stately rowhouses to be found anywhere in the city. By present day, however, the area has long since fallen on hard times, and many a stately manse has since met the wrecking ball, while many others stand in varying states of disrepair.
In recent years, however, the neighborhood is finally beginning to see a long-awaited development renaissance as West Philly’s construction boom, centered on University City, continues to spread. While the proposal at 1203 North 41st Street may be no match for the grand edifices of yesteryear, the ongoing surge of new multi-unit development is much welcome in East Parkside.
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In 2026 we will not have much of a celebration we had in 1876, 1926 and 1976 which was celebrated from new buildings built. 1876 and 1926 were celebrated with Worlds Fair standings with exhibitions served to all people willing to come to Philadelphia.
Frank Rizzo as Mayor helped kill the 1976 200th Anniversary with overblown threats by radicals itching to ruin our celebration. As a result, millions decided not to come to Philadelphia.
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