Here are a few stories from around West Philadelphia in the past week or so. Thanks to all the contributors who sent us information.

• Child Sexually Assaulted in Belmont. Police are searching for two men who sexually assaulted an 11-year-old girl on Saturday night (Aug. 25, 8:34 p.m.) in the Belmont area of West Philly. The men accosted the girl when she was reportedly walking home from a nearby block party, took her to the rear of an abandoned building near Cambridge and 41st Street and raped. The men are described between 20 and 30 years old. Read more about the ongoing investigation here. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Special Victims Unit at 215-685-3251.
• Mantua Community Group Suing Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell. A local community group, Mantua Community Planners, is suing Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell and the City of Philadelphia for kicking them out of the recreation center at 34th and Haverford. The suit claims that Blackwell locked the group out of the building that they had occupied for 45 years, removed their desks and office equipment and destroyed historical records of MCP’s work within the community. In addition to that, Blackwell allegedly struck a supporter of the group with her car’s side-view mirror and drove away. Blackwell denies both claims. Blackwell, the group alleges, is “selling out the community to the highest bidder and her political supporters.” To read more about the lawsuit, click here.
• First Round Capital Moves to West Philadelphia. First Round Capital, one of the nation’s top early-stage venture capital firms, is planning to move its headquarters to West Philly. The company, with current headquarters in West Conshohocken, has set sights on the building at 4040 Locust Street, the former Urban Outfitters store location. It is planned to initially employ about 10 people in the West Philly office and also to host five startup companies including Technically Philly, Uber Philadelphia, and Curalate, according to an article in the Area Development magazine. In addition, 24 entrepreneurs will be invited to develop their concepts and there will be space to host educational and community events.

Dick Clark’s death yesterday will no doubt prompt loads of stories and television programs chronicling the legacy of American Bandstand. West Philly residents can experience that legacy first-hand.

American Bandstand started in 1952 in a studio at WFIL (which became WPVI, “6ABC”) located adjacent to the EL tracks at 4548 Market Street. The nondescript, cream-colored building now houses The Enterprise Center and other non-profits. The only reminder of its past is the small American Bandstand historical marker out front and the massive satellite dish on the roof.

The building was one of the first designed specifically for television broadcasting.

This Saturday, the Enterprise Center will open to the public the original American Bandstand studio, “Studio B,” which contains photos and memorabilia from the show. Although the studio appeared much larger on television, it is only about 3,300 square feet. The show was broadcast from Philadelphia until 1964 when it moved to Los Angeles.

This Saturday the studio will be open for visits and tours from Noon-3 p.m.

Paul Robeson, the famed stage and screen actor who spent his later years in West Philly, is back at the corner of 45th and Chestnut keeping a keen eye on eastbound motorists.

Artist Ernel Martinez recently finished a mural of Robeson on the side of an apartment building across Chestnut Street from West Philadelphia Catholic High School that replaced an older mural of Robeson removed this summer.

The new mural is very similar to the original – a full-body portrait of an elegant Robeson in a black suit and tie.

Robeson, who was also an All-American athlete and the son of a former slave, lived in his sister’s row home at 4949 Walnut St. from 1968 to his death in 1976.

The Robeson mural is part of the African American Iconic Images collection, which also includes portraits of Jackie Robinson, Women of Jazz and Malcolm X, among others, and historical scenes of African American life and community.

If you have been near the corner of 45th and Chestnut recently, you may have noticed the large, blank, west-facing apartment building wall and thought something wasn’t quite right. That’s because the large mural of Paul Robeson, which greeted eastbound travelers on Chestnut, is gone.

But worry not; the famous actor and All-American athlete and son of a former slave who lived his later years in his sister’s row home at 4949 Walnut St. shall return. A new Robeson mural is being created as you read this.

The original mural, painted by Peter Pagast in 1999 and removed in February, is being replaced with one by Ernel Martinez, who painted the Malcolm X. mural at Ridge Avenue and W. Susquehanna Avenue.

Amy Johnston from the City’s Mural Arts Program said the mural will be back up some time next month.

“The mural is being repainted on parachute cloth in the artist’s studio,” she said.

The Robeson and Malcolm X murals are part of the African American Iconic Images collection, which also includes portraits of Jackie Robinson, Women of Jazz and Malcolm X, among others, and historical scenes of African American life and community.

Philadelphia photographer Joseph Minardi has a new book out on the architects and architecture of West Philly.

Historic Architecture in West Philadelphia, 1789-1930s includes more than 500 images of the buildings and houses we walk by every day. The book chronicles the transition of West Philadelphia from open farmland to the streetcar suburb. It also includes vignettes of the architects who helped shape the area, from Powelton Village to Cedar Park.

Minardi is the 2007 recipient of the Preservation Initiative Award from the University City Historical Society.

The 192-page book retails for $50 from the publisher here. It is also available at a significant discount at Amazon here.

If you pick it up, stop back and drop us a comment below with your impressions.