It’s down to two development firms to win the right to develop the site of the banks. But can at least some part of the historic buildings be saved? Christopher Mote has details

Back in the hands of the Norris Square Civic Association, the monumental banks are the subject of a request for development proposals that privilege commercial use, sustainability, and preservation. Hidden City staff writer Christopher Mote reports on that and on a ruling this week against the hardship claim that was used to justify residential development of the site–and demolition

Women’s Community Revitalization Project gives up on building low-income housing at Front and Norris. The fate of the historic banks and the ownership of the site are unclear. Chris Mote reports

Preserving two monumental textile banks is key to East Kensington’s future, say a diverse group of neighborhood activists, including Karen Lewis, pictured here. Their appeal of a nonprofit’s plans to build affordable housing on the site reveals contrasting visions of the neighborhood’s potential, points out Christopher Mote in his comprehensive report

The ZBA approves the Women’s Community Revitalization Project’s plan for 25 units of low-income housing at the long-disputed site under the El. Preservationists and community groups in Fishtown and Kensington are opposed to the project

“It really could be something,” said the former owner of the Buck Hosiery building that burned Monday. Now, four years on, the neighborhood is burning up piece by piece. Nathaniel Popkin condemns our failure to protect neighborhood and industrial architecture

Hidden City board member Bob Beaty sent along photos by Wojo Photo – Chamyang Unkow, who captures the scene on Norris Square–

A glimpse inside the other–and perhaps even more spectacular–abandoned bank building under the El in Kensington