Lewis C. Cassidy Elementary School at 6523 Lansdowne Avenue, prior to demolition. Credit: Ewing Cole via the Civic Design Review

Prewar Beaux-Arts School to be Torn Down and Replaced at Lewis C. Cassidy Elementary School at 6523 Lansdowne Avenue in Overbrook, West Philadelphia

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. While we admire the contemporary design and the city’s $30-million investment in state-of-the-art educational space, we are concerned with the fact that the project involves a full demolition of a stately prewar school building.

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2201 East Allegheny Avenue. Credit: Pennoni Associates via the Civic Design Review

FreezPak Facility Goes to Civic Design Review at 2201 East Allegheny Avenue in Port Richmond, Kensington

Pennoni Associates, a Philadelphia-based construction engineering firm, has submitted a proposal to Civic Design Review for a 77-foot-tall, 170,117-square-foot FreezPak industrial facility at 2201 East Allegheny Avenue in Port Richmond, Kensington. The gargantuan development will span a 306,275-square-foot lot bound by Allegheny Avenue to the west, Westmoreland Street to the east, and a rail line to the north. In addition to the building, the facility will also include 18 65-foot-long semi-trailer loading docks, parking for 90 cars, a 104-foot-wide loading lane, and a four-lane interior access road.

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Chelten Terminal at 234 West Chelten Avenue. Rendering credit: Ambit Architecture / Argo Property Group

Construction Underway at Chelten Terminal at 234 West Chelten Avenue in Germantown, Northwest Philadelphia

A recent site visit by Philly YIMBY has revealed significant construction progress at Chelten Terminal, a four-story, 49-unit mixed-use development at 234 West Chelten Avenue in GermantownNorthwest Philadelphia. Designed by Ambit Architecture and developed by the Argo Property Group, the building will span 37,992 square feet and will feature ground-floor commercial space, a roof deck, and full sprinkling, as well as outdoor parking for 18 cars. Permits list Tester Construction Group as the contractor and a construction cost of $6.1 million.

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225 West Rittenhouse Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. June 2022

Construction Anticipated at 225 West Rittenhouse Street in Germantown, Northwest Philadelphia

A recent site visit by Philly YIMBY has revealed that construction has not yet started at a five-story 37-unit mixed-use building at 225 West Rittenhouse Street in Germantown, Northwest Philadelphia, although permits have been issued last December. The structure will span around 40,000 square feet and will feature commercial space, parking, and full sprinkling. Permits list Designblendz as the designer and TDAK Development & Construction LLC as the contractor. Construction costs are specified at $4.3 million.

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