June 26, 2016
Editor’s note (6/28/2016): The hearing to determine whether the demolition will be halted concluded yesterday, and a ruling is required within 30 days. The hearing was held to decide whether a demolition permit, applied on March 17 for 4046-4048 Chestnut Street, should be voided. An application to declare the building “historic” was made on May 16, just prior to the permit’s issuance. The question the ruling will answer is whether the demolition permit is valid and whether a temporary injunction to halt the demolition will be lifted.
The hearing that could determine whether the late 19th century rowhomes on the 4000 of Chestnut are demolished will continue Monday, June 27, at 1:30 p.m.
Read more about the history of the buildings here and here. They are owned by different developers and are currently used as rental housing. Demolition permits are currently pending for 4046-4048 Chestnut and 4050-52 Chestnut. Both sets of twins have been nominated for the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. This hearing is focusing on whether a demolition permit is still valid if a building has been nominated for historic designation after it has been issued and before it has been demolished.
The hearing is in Room 232 of City Hall. The public is encouraged to attend.
June 17, 2016
We are starting to learn a little more about the retail that will be moving into the ground floor of the Garden Court Plaza apartment building at 47th and Pine. An official from Post Brothers, the real estate developer that acquired the building last year and announced their plans to court new retail businesses, said last night that ReAnimator Coffee, which has current locations in Fishtown and Kensington, has agreed to take one of the spots.
Post Brothers managing director Randy Hope told the Garden Court Community Association annual meeting that the firm is also “in conversation” with a “full-service restaurant.”
“One thing that I promise won’t be coming there is a 7-Eleven or something like that,” he said.
Hope did not say when ReAnimator Coffee might be moving in. We’ll keep you posted.
June 9, 2016
The sidewalk along 49th Street where the Bar(n) hopes to put outdoor seating (photo by West Philly Local).
Residents mostly supported a proposal for outdoor seating at the Bar(n) at 49th and Catharine Streets during a sometimes heated Wednesday evening meeting of the Cedar Park Neighbors (CPN) zoning committee.
About 30 people were on hand to hear the Bar(n)’s manager, Tim Blair, describe a plan that would enclose a portion of the sidewalk along 49th Street with planters to create an outdoor seating area that seats about 30 at five or six tables. The area would only be accessible from inside the bar, would be geared mostly toward food service and would close by 10 p.m. nightly.
“More of a place for someone to sit down and have a nice meal,” he said. “It’s not a party spot.”
Wednesday’s meeting will help determine whether the Bar(n)’s application to the city is approved. Continue Reading
June 1, 2016
Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration is rethinking the much publicized move of the police headquarters to 46th and Market, despite the start of $250 million in renovations and plans for an art installation and possibly even a new Police Athletic League branch.
According to reports first in Phillymag.com and then Philly.com, the Kenny administration is assessing the feasibility of moving police headquarters from its current location at 750 Race St. to the old Philadelphia Inquirer building at 400 N. Broad, leaving the future of the sprawling 87-year-old Provident Mutual Insurance Co. campus at 46th and Market in question. Kenney told Philly.com that the plans to move to West Philly are now “up in the air.”
In a proposal devised by Michael Nutter’s administration, the Provident campus was planned to be renamed the Public Safety Services Campus and would include the Department of Public Health and the Medical Examiner’s Office. But Kenney told Philly.com yesterday that the Provident campus might be better for “health-related” services and that moving police to the Inquirer building would place it near City Hall and other downtown offices.
The City Council approved more than $250 million in funding to complete the renovations at the Provident, which were scheduled to be completed by December.
June 1, 2016
The School District of Philadelphia has announced the hiring of a new principal to replace the school’s founding principal, Sheila Sydnor, who is retiring at the end of the school year.
Michael T. Farrell, a West Philly native and the founding principal of Thomas Elementary School in South Philadelphia (run by Mastery Charter Schools) will take over at Penn Alexander in the fall. Farrell has been at Thomas since 2013 and before that he was an assistant principal, special education coordinator and teacher at various Philadelphia schools, including Science Leadership Academy.
A committee of Penn Alexander teachers, the School Advisory Council and University of Pennsylvania assisted the district in the nationwide search, which took more than three months.
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Sydnor began her career as a teacher in 1975 and was principal of M.H. Stanton Elementary School in North Philadelphia before coming to Penn Alexander when the school opened in 2001.
“The Penn Alexander School is one of the brightest spots in The School District of Philadelphia as a result of Sheila Sydnor’s stellar leadership,” Dr. William R. Hite, Superintendent said in a statement.
Sydnor will assist Farrell in the transition, according to the statement.
May 11, 2016
Lea Principal Jennifer Duffy helps a student cut the ribbon that officially opens the new Henry Lea Elementary School playground at 47th and Spruce (Photo by West Philly Local).
A handful of Henry C. Lea Elementary students cut the ribbon this morning on a project that has transformed the school’s playground at 47th and Spruce from a barren swathe of asphalt into an inviting space complete with trees and dedicated bricks.
The “Greening Lea” project has moved through several stages that culminated with today’s ribbon cutting for a playground that now includes several garden areas, several newly planted trees and a renovated basketball court. Continue Reading
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