36th and Lancaster

The city’s Historical Commission today added a strip of Lancaster Avenue commercial and residential buildings dating to the 1870s to the Registry of Historic Places.

The designation of the south side of the 3600 block of Lancaster Avenue requires Historical Commission approval of building or renovation plans.

An attorney for the property’s owner, AP Construction, vowed to appeal the decision.

The Powelton Village Civic Association began to pursue the designation last spring when it learned of AP Construction’s plans to demolish the block and reportedly sell it for student housing. With street-level storefronts and apartments on upper floors, the block anchors the main commercial strip in the neighborhood.

About 25 residents of Powelton Village were on hand at the meeting and nearly all raised their hands when asked if they agreed with the historic designation proposal.  Continue Reading

This is a follow up to some of our recent and not so recent restaurant news.

• The new owners for Gold Standard Cafe, a popular establishment at 48th and Baltimore, have finally been revealed. In July, we reported that the business was up for sale when the old owners, veteran restaurateurs Roger Harman and Vince Whittacre, decided to retire. The new owners, Joseph Oh and Alice Park, previously operated a Japanese fusion restaurant in North Philly, but as they told the local weekly University City Review, their plan regarding The Gold Standard is to keep everything the same, with some minor tweaks to the menu. “They said they might put one Korean dinner on the menu at some point but otherwise keep the same general theme,” Harman told the Review regarding the new owners’ plans.  Continue Reading

Police released information on a gunpoint robbery that took place on Sunday night on the 4400 block of Osage Ave. A 29-year-old man was talking on his cell phone outside of his residence at approximately 7:45 p.m. when an unknown male approached him from behind and pointed a black pistol at his face, according to a police report. He then told the victim to turn around, lie down and empty his pockets. The robber fled with the victim’s cash (approximately $15), according to police.

The suspect is described as a black male, around 30 years old, 5’9″ to 6″, thin to medium build. He was dressed in a dark hoodie (with the hood up) and dark pants.  Continue Reading

Monday, Oct. 5 is the last day you can register to vote in the November 3 election. You can register online, too. Please click on the image below to register if you haven’t done it yet.

Image provided by Resource Generation Philly chapter.

The local chapter of Resource Generation, a group of 18- to 35-year-olds who have pledged to leverage their wealth or class privilege for social justice, is holding an open house on Thursday, Oct. 15.

Over the past year the group has committed to providing more than $27,000 in funding to promote racial justice, splitting the money between the Organization for Black Struggle in Ferguson and the Bread and Roses Racial and Economic Justice Fund in Philadelphia. Its members have also hosted meetings on radical investing and regenerative finance, transferring capital and resources to communities impacted by economic inequality.  Continue Reading

This is a follow up to some of the crime reports we published in the last two weeks and a report of a recent arrest in connection with multiple robberies in Powelton.

Shootings on 5200 block of Irving

So far no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting incidents on the 5200 block of Irving St. that left two men seriously wounded. Police said that they have persons of interest but can’t arrest them because there are no witnesses, and the victims are not cooperating.

Gunpoint robberies on S. 50th Street

Police arrested two young men, both West Philly residents, in South Philadelphia on Thursday for a robbery similar to the robberies on S. 50th Street on Sept. 23. Another arrest was made earlier, and all the detained suspects are being looked at in relation to the robberies. In addition, the 18 Police District has assigned plainclothes and uniform cops to the area, which should “help slow things down” and already has, according to police.  Continue Reading