1825 Diamond 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.

The Market East section of Center City is rapidly transforming, with a number of developments currently proposed, notably on the 1100 block between Walnut Street and Sansom Street, where three high-rises are proposed close to one another, bringing mass to the local skyline. The shortest of the three is the 200-foot-tall, 86-unit Blue Ivy Hotel proposed at 122 South 11th Street. Designed by DAS Architecture and developed by Estia Group, the structure will be located at the southwest corner of South 11th Street and Sansom Street and will rise 14 stories.