Permits Issued for 976 North 45th Street in Belmont, West Philadelphia

Permits have been issued for the construction of a three-story two-family rowhouse at 976 North 45th Street in Belmont, West Philadelphia. The new structure will replace a vacant lot situated on the north side of the block between Merion Avenue and Wyalusing Avenue. Designed by the Scale Design Group, the building will span 3,080 square feet and will feature a basement and a roof deck. Permits list Kumas Homes LLC as the contractor.

Construction costs are listed at $106,000, of which $70,000 is allocated toward general construction, $2,000 for electrical work, $2,000 for mechanical work, $2,000 for plumbing work, and $30,000 for excavation work.

976 North 45th Street. Location map. Credit: Google Maps

976 North 45th Street. Aerial view prior to redevelopment. Looking north. Credit: Google Maps

976 North 45th Street. Site conditions prior to redevelopment. Looking west. July 2019. Credit: Google Maps

The structure will measure 14 feet and 45 feet long, with an 11-foot-deep yard in the rear. The building will rise 38 feet to the top of the main roof (42 feet to the top of the parapet and 47 feet to the top of the roof access pilot house), considerably taller than the roughly 20-foot-high prewar rowhouses that line much of the rest of the block. On the other hand, the proposal design makes certain contextual gestures toward its surroundings, such as an overall symmetrical street-facing facade, a raised ground floor with a stoop, a masonry-clad ground floor, and a similarly classicist exterior treatment on the upper floors.

976 North 45th Street. Building section. Credit: Scale Design Group vis the City of Philadelphia

Although the new building will rise high enough to offer skyline views from its roof deck, the structure is not entirely out-of-context in a neighborhood rife with three-story rowhouses, generally of prewar vintage, though one rowhouse similar in scale to the proposal at 976 North 45th Street was recently built on the opposite side of the block. Moreover, two residential units, and rather spacious ones at that (averaging over 1,500 square feet each), will make for a significant improvement for the presently vacant site.

North 45th Street, with 976 North 45th Street (prior to redevelopment) on the right. Looking south. July 2019. Credit: Google Maps

North 45th Street, with 976 North 45th Street (prior to redevelopment) on the left. Looking north. July 2019. Credit: Google Maps

Route 43 and 64 buses stop a short block to the east of the proposed development. The route 10 and route 15 trolleys on Lancaster and Girard avenues each run around two blocks to the southwest and to the north, respectively, offering a direct commute option to University City, Center City, and Temple University. The Centennial section of Fairmount Park may be reached via a 12-minute walk to the northeast.

976 North 45th Street. Zoning table. Credit: Scale Design Group vis the City of Philadelphia

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