A recent site visit by Philadelphia YIMBY has confirmed that construction is complete at a three-story mixed-use development at 1500 Germantown Avenue in Olde Kensington. The development rises from a vacant, wedge-shaped property situated at the northwest cornet of Germantown Avenue and Jefferson Street. Designed by Cheryl Poulos Architect, the building will span 5,359 square feet, which will include over 1,000 square feet of ground-level commercial space, a cellar, and a roof deck. Permits list Philly Parking Solutions as the contractor and indicate a construction cost of $400,000.
1500 Germantown Avenue. Credit: Google Maps
1500 Germantown Avenue. Looking north. Credit: Google Maps
1500 Germantown Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. May 2024
1500 Germantown Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. May 2024
1500 Germantown Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. May 2024
The building, clad in tan brick and gray metal panels, is rather understated. The wood-paneled recessed balconies are a particularly attractive feature; curiously, the balconies are still missing railings, even though construction work appears to have wrapped up. Floor-to-ceiling windows at the ground level retail space (still unoccupied at this moment) animate the street presence. The building’s most surprising element is the large blank wall at its prominent corner point; ideally, the featureless expanse of wall would make for a fine site for a mural. Such an artwork would complement the dazzling, three-story Al-Aqsa Islamic Society facility across the street at 1501 Germantown Avenue, which sports an ornate tapestry of color and patterns that deck out the classic prewar structure in dazzling Middle Eastern motifs. Even metal bollards around the perimeter are painted in a festive multi-color pattern in blue, white, and gold.
1501 Germantown Avenue. Looking northeast. Credit: Google Maps
The building fills in a crucial missing piece at the angled intersection, made notable by the ornately tiled and painted Al-Aqsa Islamic Society at 1501 Germantown Avenue across the street to the east. The new structure adds appeal to the locale and will generate pedestrian activity with its large-windowed ground-floor retail space. Although the adjacent blocks have seen ample new construction in recent years, we expect more development still to follow in this conveniently located (Temple University, Northern Liberties, and Fishtown are all situated within a 15-minute walk to the northwest, south, and east, respectively), transit-adjacent (the route 15 trolley runs three blocks to the south along Girard Avenue) area.
The structure is the latest addition to an area that has seen enormous transformation in recent years, and we may expect more development to take shape on the surrounding blocks in the coming years.
Germantown Avenue, with 1500 Germantown Avenue. Looking south. September 2014. Credit: Google Maps
Germantown Avenue, with 1500 Germantown Avenue. Looking south. August 2019. Credit: Google Maps
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Can someone please please please explain why there is this obsession with these ugly grey panels? The brick veneer is actually nice! So they ruin it with that ugly grey paneling.
The “obsession” is just the fact that brick is about twice as expensive as the insulated architectural panels you’re seeing around the city.