1539 South Bambrey Street

Urban development is a delicate balancing act, and sometimes we must say goodbye to cherished local destinations in order to make way for a plan that is ultimately more beneficial to the community and to the city at large. One of such trade-offs is slated to occur at 7619 Germantown Avenue in Mount Airy, Northwest Philadelphia, where the Trolley Car Diner is set to meet the wrecking ball, to be replaced by a six-story, mixed-use residential development designed by Morrissey Design. Although the charming chrome, neon, mural, and freestanding trolley of the diner will be missed, the proposal at hand makes for more effective use of the site, bringing significant residential density within a two0-block walk of the Mount Airy Station of the SEPTA Regional Rail and replacing the auto-centric restaurant with pedestrian-friendly retail.

Most new developments proposed along Benjamin Franklin Parkway in the Logan Square area of Center City consist of ground-up construction, yet at least one will involve a major renovation instead. The eight-story office building at 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, also known as the United Way Building, was designed by Mitchell/Giurgola Associates and was completed in 1971 with a height of 89 feet and over 60,000 square feet of floor space. In April 2018, Pearl Properties purchased the entire building for $10.9 million. The exterior will remain largely intact, yet the interior will be thoroughly renovated up to a competitive 21st century standard. The future tenant will also have the option to install their logo on the the building parapet.