A recent site visit by Philadelphia YIMBY has noted that demolition work has still not started at the site of a 49-unit apartment building proposed at 1208 Chestnut Street in Midtown Village, Center City, even though demolition permits have already been issued for the dilapidated three-story structure currently occupying the property. Designed by SgRA and developed by Michael Alhadad, the building will span a narrow, through-block lot on the block between South 12th and South 13th streets, stretching north-south from Chestnut Street to Sansom Street. The building will span 51,436 square feet and will feature a basement, ground-floor commercial space, full sprinkling, and a roof deck. Permits list Christian A. Sanchez as the contractor and a construction cost of $5.5 million.
1208 Chestnut Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. April 2025
1208 Chestnut Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. April 2025
The site was once occupied by a stately prewar building rising nine stories tall. The remnant of this once-magnificent structure has since been reduced to a miserable, barely recognizable three-story stump, with a drab glass vitrine behind a roll-up gate at the ground floor and a completely stuccoed-over second level, decorated with an italicized “Rainbow” banner that appears ironically cheery for such a dismal-looking edifice. Only the dilapidated yet highly ornate third floor window remains as a reminder of the structure’s former grandeur.
1208 Chestnut Street via Civic Design Review
1208 Chestnut Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. April 2025
1208 Chestnut Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. April 2025
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Have you reached out to the developer for answers?
What is the holdup?
Why would anyone want to live next to shuttered buildings and homeless people? If you’re ok with that, might as well live in an older building and pay much much less. This makes no sense
tRump’s megalomaniacal market meddling madness, could be what “the hold up” is attributed to. If this IDIOT! hadn’t been given that random econ book by Jared Kuschner, who grabbed AT RANDOM!, Peter Navarro’s book, “sourced” with a MADE UP FAKE NAME economist ANAGRAMED from (Navarro) into “Ron Vara”, his arbitrary & capricious book is; COMPLETE BS!, we wouldn’t be in this economic self inflicted masochism, OR looking at this undeveloped construction site.
I will get dumped on for this, but wouldn’t it have been nice to incorporate the good part of that building into the new design? I know, a miracle, but one can wish…As the design stands, I’d say, not bad for where it is. The hold up is probably waiting to see how the tariffs will affect the cost of the building project or disagreements between owners!
The good news is that several trade deals (including China) have finally been reached.
I enjoy reading your comments. 😁
I am sad when you don’t show up.
I try to be nice….Thanks!