Urbanism For Callowhill Neighborhood, Whose BIDing Will Be Done? Longtime Callowhill residents and real estate developers clash over the creation of a Business Improvement District as the neighborhood begins to transition. Kimberly Haas has the story
Preservation Assumption Ruling Keeps Legal Wheels Turning The latest ruling pushes the case back to the Court of Common Pleas. Owner John Wei may have to submit a new hardship argument to be allowed to demolish the monumental church
Art & Design The Viaduct At The Heart Of Her Life And Art Perhaps no one is more responsible for the vision of transforming the Reading Viaduct into a civic space and park than the acclaimed painter Sarah McEneaney. Nathaniel Popkin talks with McEneaney at Locks Gallery, where the painter’s Viaduct-centered work comes together in “Trestletown”
Art & Design Saturday’s Party For The Viaduct Underscores Progress, Exposes Challenges With public support building, Saturday’s Rally for the Rail Park block party culminates a year of progress toward a Reading Viaduct Park. Key questions linger, however, as Nathaniel Popkin reports
Preservation Critical Day Tomorrow For Two Major Preservation Cases Ruling on Church of the Assumption to be announced followed by final arguments on the Levy Leas mansion at 40th and Pine. Both buildings face the wreaking ball
Preservation L & I Review Board Issues Stay Of Demolition For Assumption Demolition is avoided for now as the Board of L&I Review, which had previously ruled to overturn the Historical Commission’s granting of hardship to the former owner of the church, cleared the way for the neighbors’ appeal to be heard again
Preservation In Assumption Case, Hardship Precedent Raises Legal Questions Can a building have “hardship?” In approving the first ever transfer of a hardship declaration allowing demolition to a new owner without review of that owner’s potential hardship, the Historical Commission says “yes”
Preservation Find A Political Solution On Church Of The Assumption Before we rob our future, says Nathaniel Popkin, political pressure can force the owner of the Church of the Assumption to allow the appeals process to continue before starting demolition. We’ll never be able to replace the church’s strange beauty