>4080 Olive 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.

Philadelphia YIMBY’s recent site visit has noted that preparation for renovation and construction work has begun at the site of the 312-foot-tall, 25-story Freeman Condominiums at 1810 Chestnut Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City. Designed by Cecil Baker + Partners, the project will renovate the six-story Samuel T. Freeman & Co. Auction House, built in 1923, with five floors of retail and commercial space facing the street, tenant amenities, and six stories of automated vehicle storage in the rear. The slender vertical addition will house 19 condominiums, most of which will be full-floor and bi-level units.