Permits Issued for Mixed-Use Building at 1941 Callowhill Street in Franklintown, Lower North Philadelphia

Permits have been issued for the construction of a three-story mixed-use building at 1941 Callowhill Street in Franklintown, Lower North Philadelphia. The structure will span 3,568 square feet and will include vacant commercial space at the ground level, two residential units above, a roof deck, and a roof access structure. Dagon Series LLC is listed as the owner. KCA Design Associates LLC is the architect. Zatos Builders LLC is the contractor.

Construction costs are listed at $400,000, which includes $350,000 allocated to general construction and $50,000 to excavation.

1941 Callowhill Street Plan via KCA Design Associates

The zoning approval permits an attached two-family structure. The property is zoned CMX-2 and occupies a 1,190-square-foot lot. The plans show an 892-square-foot building footprint, equivalent to 75 percent lot coverage, with 298 square feet of open area. The zoning plan shows a 13-foot rear yard and a main roof height of 33 feet, below the district’s indicated 38-foot maximum. The zoning permit approves a roof deck accessed by a pilot house.

Elevation drawings depict a narrow street-facing facade organized around a central row of paired windows on the upper floors. Masonry-clad sections frame the facade, while the center is shown with a contrasting treatment around the windows. Tall openings with transoms occupy much of the ground-floor frontage. The roof deck sits above the main roof, with its access structure set back from the primary facade. At the rear, the drawings show stacked windows and a separate entrance, while the long side elevation is largely solid.

1941 Callowhill Street Rear and Side Elevations via KCA Design Associates

Permit records also identify excavation extending at least five feet below grade, underpinning, impacts on adjacent property, and a streets impact. Because of the building’s proximity to the sidewalk, the approved scope requires pedestrian protection through a covered walkway or sidewalk closure within nine feet of the facade.

The property previously housed an attached three-story residential building. A separate demolition permit for that structure is listed as completed. The new construction retains the narrow lot dimensions shown in the zoning drawings while introducing commercial frontage at street level and residential space above.

The site is located along Callowhill Street near North 20th Street. Matthias Baldwin Park, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the Rodin Museum, and the Franklin Institute are all within approximately a ten-minute walk of the property.

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