Community Design Collaborative
- Well before work is set to begin next spring on an ambitious new public space at Germantown Avenue’s Lovett Free Library, local historians and archeologists are using ground-penetrating radar to determine the plausibility of finding anything of historical import in the hitherto undeveloped soil. (A militia is said to have trained on the plot duritng the Revolutionary War.) Mount Airy USA President Anuj Gupta, nonetheless tells Plan Philly that his organization values a swifter development than an additional fundraising campaign for any such excavation.
- Naked Philly reports that work has resumed on the former PECO building at the intersection of 6th & Federal Streets in Pennsport, part of a protracted renovation effort that will feature 11 large apartment units.
- After a quarter century of neglect, the five-story, former Stanley Backer suit factory at 19th & Allegany Streets will be converted into a senior living center by NewCourt Land for $5.6 million, says the Philadelphia Business Journal.
- Ken Finkel reviews the bittersweet legacy of Society Hill’s mid-century “urban renewal,” concluding that the city’s selective architectural amnesia denies buildings of an accrued character and authenticity, through surrendering it to an “untender restoration aesthetic.”
About the author
Stephen Currall recently received his BA in history from Arcadia University. Before beginning doctoral studies, he is pursuing his interest in local history, specifically just how Philadelphians engage their vibrant past. Besides skimming through 18th century letters, Steve is also interested in music and travel.
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