Philadelphia lacks a clear vision for historic preservation, leaving the protocols in place cumbersome and largely ineffective. Contributor Oscar Beisert believes it’s time to rethink our approach with solutions that increase the legal protection of historic buildings while accommodating new development

  Since 2011, one of Philadelphia’s more prominent design-and-build firms, Onion Flats, has been a partner in the redevelopment by owner Grasso Holdings of East Falls’ most prominent gateway, 4300-4326 Ridge Avenue. The parcel, located at the corner of Ridge and the Falls Bridge–often referred to as the “Rivage site”–still sits as a large parking lot […]

Design-wise, plans for the Boyd Theater site at 1900 Chestnut Street has been doomed from the get-go. Pearl Properties’ first architect for the project, Eimer Architects, couldn’t deliver a quality blueprint to match the prime Center City site. Enter Cecil Baker + Partners. With thoughtful consideration to neighborhood stakeholders and a mind for smart urbanism, Baker’s redesign sets plans for the the site right. Contributor Stephen Stofka has this Q&A with the architect who picked up the pieces and saved the project from a deadlock

New plans for developing Rittenhouse Square’s long empty lot on Walnut Street have emerged, while the fate of three historic buildings on the 1900 block of Sansom Street still hang in the balance. Stephen Stofka reports

What’s next for 2100 Market Street? Contributor Stephen Stofka says the preliminary renderings are bold and give us a rundown with this design review

Elusive real estate partners and scant details of a large-scale proposal for residential development and a supermarket on the 1300 block of Fairmount Avenue raises more questions than answers. Contributor Stephen Stofka takes a look

As the housing boom hammers along developers continue to experiment with residential façade design leaving simple, brick and mortar row home exteriors looking almost quaint. Ariel and Grace Diliberto checks out a few new faces in the neighborhood with this row house roundup

The South Philadelphia Branch of the Free Library was recently leveled to make way for construction of the Community Health and Literacy Center, a wellness and educational partnership between Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, FLP, and the City. Long before the former library’s tenure at Broad and Morris Streets, an orphanage claimed the large rectangular block from 1891 to 1960. HC contributor Sarah Kennedy got in touch with former residents of The Southern Home For Destitute Children, bringing up fond memories and a lasting affection for their childhood home away from home