Demolition

4415 Chestnut Street. Looking north. Credit: Google

Permits Issued for Five-Story, 40-Unit Building at 4415 Chestnut Street in Spruce Hill, West Philadelphia

Permits have been issued for the construction of a five-story, 40-unit mixed-use building at 4415 Chestnut Street in Spruce Hill, West Philadelphia. Designed by Wulff Architects and developed by Orens Brothers Real Estate, the building will include retail space as well as features such as elevator service, a green roof, full sprinkling, and 14 bicycle spaces. Permits list Orens Development Inc. as the owner and Orens Brothers Inc. as the general contractor. Construction is expected to cost $5.5 million. The structure will be a part of a two-building complex that extends through the block to Ludlow Street to the north, which will total 70 units. Construction is already underway on the 30-unit Ludlow Street building.

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2130 North 2nd Street. Looking northwest. Credit: Google

Permits Issued for Two Multi-Family Buildings at 2130 and 2132 North 2nd Street in Norris Square, North Philadelphia

Permits have been issued for the construction of two multi-family residential buildings at 2130 North 2nd Street and 2132 North 2nd Street in Norris Square, North Philadelphia. Designed by Nicholas Coulter of KCA Design Associates, LLC, the two structures will be situated on the west side of the block between Diamond Street and West Susquehanna Avenue. 2130 North 2nd Street will span a 917-square-foot footprint and will rise three stories and include three units. The building will include 3,688 square feet of floor space and will feature a basement and a roof deck. EV Development LLC is the contractor. Construction is expected to cost $252,000. Fewer details are available for 2132 North 2nd Street, which will rise from a 1,000-square-foot footprint and will also feature a basement and a roof deck. 2nd Street Developers LLC is the owner for both properties.

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A New High-Rise May Be Coming to 600 South University Avenue in University City, West Philadelphia

Demolition is nearly complete at a three-story budget motel at 600 South University Avenue (also known as 600 University Avenue) in West Philadelphia. Located directly on the Schuylkill River waterfront near the southernmost point in University City, the hotel was built in the postwar period and was once geared toward University of Pennsylvania visitors, and was later converted into a prison halfway house and was at times described as a “hot sheets” motel. The facility was eventually shuttered and the structure has stood vacant for years. However, Philly YIMBY’s site visit last weekend revealed that the building has almost been reduced to a pile of rubble. Given its generous zoning and location at a major university, medical, and office hub, the site may be slated for a large, and possibly high-rise, development.

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Broad Street Station with City Hall. Photo from City of Philadelphia, Department of Records

A Look Back at “the Chinese Wall,” an Elevated Viaduct that Once Ran Through Center City

In the late 1800’s, ten city blocks in Center City were converted into an elevated railroad spur that serviced multiple rail lines, connected to the Broad Street Station just to the west of City Hall, near the current space Dilworth Park. A massive train shed stood behind the station, rising multiple stories tall and prominent from many directions. Designed by the Wilson Brothers, the project was developed by the Pennsylvania Railroad and was completed on December 5, 1881. The centerpiece was a five-story Victorian Gothic headhouse facing City Hall.

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One Meridian Plaza (left) in the Philadelphia skyline. Photo via Daily Press

The Tragic Story of One Meridian Plaza

One Meridian Plaza was a 492-foot-tall, 38-story skyscraper that used to stand on the current site of the Residences at Ritz Carlton and the W/Element Hotel at 1416 South Penn Square in Center City, across from City Hall. The building began construction in 1968 and opened in 1972, just after the construction of the 1980’s skyscraper boom. Designed by Vincent and Kling and Associates and developed by Girard Bank and Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance, the tower was extensively damaged by a fatal fire in 1991 and demolished in 1999.

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