Construction has begun on a new 8-story apartment building at the former parking lot on the southwest corner of 49th and Spruce. The building will include 150 residential units from the first through seventh floors and a roof deck on the eighth floor. The project also includes 41 parking spaces and 63 bicycle spaces on the ground floor.  Continue Reading

A new bagel shop inspired by sojourns to legendary Manhattan shops like H&H and Zabar’s has opened in the Powelton neighborhood last week.

Brothers Brett and Kyle Frankel opened Bart’s Bagels at 3945 Lancaster Ave. The shop was recently featured on 6ABC news. The brothers grew up in Philadelphia and reportedly often visited their uncle in New York where they were bit by the bagel bug, according to the report.

The new shop includes a kitchen, and all bagels (about a dozen varieties!) are handmade on-site, according to the report. Meats are also roasted on-site. The shop also serves schmears and sandwiches. Continue Reading

Philadelphia is getting ready to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, Jan. 20 with a bunch of events, activities and volunteer projects. Some began earlier this week and will be held throughout this and next month, like the MLK Jr. Sermon Discussion Group at Mosaic Community Church (123 S. 51st St).

Check out some events and volunteer opportunities in West and Southwest Philly below. Also visit the MLK Day of Service and the University City District websites for more events and volunteer projects in the area.

MLK Day Events at UPenn

• A Community Beautification Project will take place on Monday, Jan. 20 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volunteers will work on service projects at the following sites: Mitchell Weir Elementary, Hamilton Elementary, Antioch Home School Center, and Laura Sims Skate House. Light refreshments will be provided. Meet at 9:45 a.m. in the main lobby of Houston Hall (3417 Spruce St) for transportation to locations.  Continue Reading

Police arrested two people at about 11 a.m. on Wednesday after they crashed a car near 43rd and Sansom they believe to be owned by the victim of a fatal stabbing in East Germantown early Wednesday morning.

Police pursued the vehicle along West Philly streets on Wednesday morning in connection to the murder of a 65-year-old woman in East Germantown. The woman was found unresponsive inside a bathtub at her home on the 300 block of Mechanic Street around 1:20 a.m. on Wednesday. She had multiple stabbing wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. The woman is reportedly the mother of a Philadelphia police officer.  Continue Reading

Abyssinia, the popular Ethiopian restaurant located at the corner of 45th and Locust, is eyeing expansion into the adjacent space on S. 45th Street (a former laundromat) and also wants to offer outdoor seating.

“They are in early stages and will have to apply for their expansion [to the City’s Zoning Board of Adjustment] and come back once they have a refusal,” says Spruce Hill Community Association Zoning Committee Chair Barry Grossbach following a meeting on the plan. Continue Reading

Photo courtesy of The Woodlands.

The Woodlands Cemetery’s popular gardening program, Grave Gardeners, will return this spring and some spots are still remaining for those who are interested in participating.

The Grave Gardeners program accepts volunteers who each will be assigned a cradle grave (designed in the Victorian era) to adopt at The Woodlands, located at 40th and Woodland. The Grave Gardeners tend to their assigned cradle grave throughout the growing season, from March to November. Gardeners will receive a wide variety of plant material (seeds, plugs and bulbs).  Continue Reading