The plot at 4812 Baltimore Ave, the site of the proposed building (image from Google Street View).

Plans for a new apartment building at 4812 Baltimore Ave will be revealed tomorrow (Thursday, Jan. 17) at a community meeting that will be held at The Calvary Center (801 S. 48th St). The owners of the property, Diversified Realty Ventures, have submitted an application to the Philadelphia Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) and applied for a permit to build a new, 4-story structure with a roof deck. The building will have a small commercial store front on the 1st floor and five apartments above.

The lot where the building is currently proposed is home to a few garden plots, but is otherwise vacant. The builder needs a variance because of the proposed structure’s height. The building would house five apartments with a total of nine bedrooms.

At the meeting, the owners will present drawings of the proposed building and answer any questions the community may have.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in the Calvary Center’s basement (entrance through 48th street side door).

UPDATE (Dec. 30): The Wine and Spirits store on the 4900 block of Baltimore Avenue has reopened.

Crews have demolished the building that housed the popular bar and restaurant Elena’s Soul, which was destroyed by fire Monday. The demolition caused severe damage to adjacent buildings, prompting the city to order that those buildings either be repaired or demolished themselves.

The City placed an “imminently dangerous” notice on Gary’s Nails today after the walls of the three-story building that housed Elena’s collapsed through the nail salon’s roof. A wall in Gary’s was also severely damaged during the demolition. The notice requires the building’s owner to repair or demolish the building in a timely manner.

A wall from the Elena’s building also crashed through the roof of the adjacent Cedar Park Cafe, prompting the City to also serve notice to the building’s owner that it needs to be repaired or demolished.

The fire and demolition has also impacted the Wine and Spirit Store next door to Gary’s. The store has been closed since demolition began and a sign posted in the window says that it will be “closed until further notice.” It remained closed Friday afternoon.

So far there has been no indication of where or whether Elena’s will rebuild. Elena’s Soul carried on a long tradition of bars in the building, which was reportedly built in 1908. Before Elena’s, the building was the home of Leroy’s Showcase Lounge. Elena’s catered to a relatively young, multiracial crowd.

“That place brought a lot of different kinds of people together,” said one man as he watched the demolition today. “Gonna be tough to replace that.”

A cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

The liquor store adjacent to Gary’s Nails will be closed until further notice.

Shuttle buses have been replacing Route 34 trolleys between the 40th Street portal and 61st Street since Monday due to the fire at Elena’s Soul. We’ll let you know when the trolley resumes its service. In the meantime, here’s more information on the shuttle bus route.

Westbound (via Chester Ave)

– Right at 42nd St.

– Left at Baltimore

– Left onto 49^th St.

– Right at Springfield

– Right at 50th St.

– Left at Baltimore, resuming regular routing

Eastbound (via Baltimore Ave)

– Right at 50^th St.

– Left at Springfield

– Left at 49^th St.

– Right at Baltimore

– Right at VA Medical Center Dr.

– Right on Woodland and back to 40^th Street, resuming regular routing

Despite the two stop signs, vehicles routinely blow through the intersection of Baltimore Avenue and Springfield Avenue.

A cyclist was reportedly seriously injured last night when she collided with a car at the corner of Baltimore Avenue and Springfield Avenue, a notorious intersection that includes heavy pedestrian and bike traffic and where cars often don’t stop.

The accident happened at about 11 p.m. and the cyclist was wearing a helmet and her bike had lights, one witness said. The cyclist appeared to be unconscious when the ambulance arrived. A witness also said that a pedestrian stopped the car that hit the cyclist.

A reader, Kelly, who lives on Baltimore wrote to us about the accident and included a warning to pedestrians to stay alert near the intersection. We are trying to get more information on the woman’s condition.

Kelly writes:

“In the last month 3 separate bicyclists have been hit at this intersection. I don’t know the young person that was hit and I hope she is okay but it was not a pretty site. Thankfully a pedestrian saw her get hit and stopped the car. My partner and I were home and heard the accident happen and while she called 911 I ran out to see if I could help. Needless to say this intersection is horrible and I make it a point to never cross there unless absolutely necessary. Basically I would love the message to get out to those crossing at that intersection to please be aware of the cars that neither look, slow down, or care if you are walking/biking and if you can avoid crossing there do it. It would be amazing if we could do away with the intersection all together making those cars turn on 45th at the light and making them slow down, stop, and consider the others that occupy the roads/crosswalks.”

A new bike corral was installed this week in front of Mariposa Food Co-op, near the intersection of 49th St. and Baltimore Ave, accommodating a dozen or more bikes. (Photo courtesy Bicycle Coalition).

There were about 40 people in line outside of the liquor store at 49th and Baltimore at around 6 p.m. The store closes at 9 p.m. All PA Wine & Spirits stores will be closed tomorrow.