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.

In October 2020, Philly YIMBY reported on permits that were filed for demolition of a vacant two-story single-family rowhouse at 1735 Seybert Street in Cecil B. Moore, Lower North Philadelphia. Our recent site visit has revealed that demo work has since been completed, and an attractive wood plank fence now encloses the vacant lot. The work was performed as part of the City of Philadelphia demolition program. Permits listed Francis Henriquez of FH Demolition as the contractor and a work cost of $13,995.