897 North 40th 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.

A major redevelopment project is in the works at the Lewis C. Cassidy Elementary School at 6523 Lansdowne Avenue in Overbrook, West Philadelphia, spanning an entire city block bound by Lansdowne Avenue to the south, Haddington Lane to the north, Atwood Road to the east, and Kenmore Road to the west. Designed by Ewing Cole, the new school building will rise three stories and span 87,727 square feet, offering space for 570 students in Pre-K through eighth grade. The new building will feature a contemporary design will cost $30 million to develop. A recent article focused on the demolition of a stately prewar school building that stood at the site; today we take an in-depth look at the new design itself.