678 North Broad Street
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| Photo by Jack O'Brian |
It's been a long time since I wrote about an Empty Lot, so I might as well bring you an old one-- 95 years without a building! Read all about it at Naked Philly!
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Showing posts with label Empty Lot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Empty Lot. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Monday, March 2, 2015
Old-Ass Building, Empty Lot, Dead-Ass Proposal(s), Fill This Front, and Lost Building: 2000 Arch Street
2000-2024 Arch Street
Almost every kind of Philaphilia category represented by one little address!?!?! That's right motherfucker! Read all about it at the Hidden City Daily!
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| Photo by Michael Bixler |
Monday, February 23, 2015
Empty Lot of the Week: Diaphane Building Parking Lot
1936 Arch Street
Ok, so I don't really do Empty Lot of the Week anymore but there are some still left that I've never talked about that irk the shit out of me. This one right here sucks monkey nuts. It's been empty for 71 years and has even once been considered for development. Nonetheless, its still remains, looking like asstrash.
The last building to occupy this space was a 4-story mega-mansion built about 1898 under the designs of local architect Joseph Cather Newsom shortly before he fucked off to California and became famous there. The mansion went through a lot in its short life, from a stately single-family home to decent apartment building called The Braddock to a seedy-ass flop house called Hotel Bechtel.
In 1944, the decrepit old building was seen as a shitty vestige of the past and unceremoniously demolished while under the ownership of the Girard Trust Company. Ever since, this space has been parking cars or doing other car-related shit. After being a Budget Rent-A-Car for a couple of decades, contractor Sidney Elkman proposed a 14-story building for this lot. It had a hard time getting through zoning but was eventually approved. Of course, it was 1967. Had it been built, this would be a Butt-Fugly Building rant instead. Here's the rendering. See what I mean? Blecch. At the time, there was a small revitalization of this hood with small commercial buildings. Every last one of them was ugly as crap. Only a few got built and at least one has already been demolished.
After that Elkman project failed, the lot went back to being vacant, then was used as a parking lot and later as a car rental agency again. In 1982 and 83, the Diaphane Building next door to this lot was restored and the space became that building's parking lot... a role that it has held ever since.
In 2000, a mural called Reach High and You Will Go Far was installed on the party wall of the Diaphane Building and has probably locked this place in as a parking lot for all time. I say this because if ever someone comes along and makes it their business to put a building on this empty-ass piece of shit lot at a prime corner location, NIMBYs are going to start dropping from the skies screaming about how that dated-looking mural will be lost forever.
Anyway, with 1924 Arch and CITC being built less than a block away, and Liberty Property Trust nabbing all the shitty lots and buildings on the 1900 block of Arch, this lot has a lot more potential than its had since ol' Sidney Elkman was interested in it. Hopefully the owners of the Diaphane Building understand this and will sell if off to someone who will make better use of it. Pfft.
Ok, so I don't really do Empty Lot of the Week anymore but there are some still left that I've never talked about that irk the shit out of me. This one right here sucks monkey nuts. It's been empty for 71 years and has even once been considered for development. Nonetheless, its still remains, looking like asstrash.
The last building to occupy this space was a 4-story mega-mansion built about 1898 under the designs of local architect Joseph Cather Newsom shortly before he fucked off to California and became famous there. The mansion went through a lot in its short life, from a stately single-family home to decent apartment building called The Braddock to a seedy-ass flop house called Hotel Bechtel.
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| Here it is as the Hotel Bechtel in 1928 via PhillyHistory.org |
After that Elkman project failed, the lot went back to being vacant, then was used as a parking lot and later as a car rental agency again. In 1982 and 83, the Diaphane Building next door to this lot was restored and the space became that building's parking lot... a role that it has held ever since.
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| The Diaphane Building looking like shit in 1981. The lot is on the right. PhillyHistory.org |
Anyway, with 1924 Arch and CITC being built less than a block away, and Liberty Property Trust nabbing all the shitty lots and buildings on the 1900 block of Arch, this lot has a lot more potential than its had since ol' Sidney Elkman was interested in it. Hopefully the owners of the Diaphane Building understand this and will sell if off to someone who will make better use of it. Pfft.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Empty Lot of the Week-- November 5th
Buschong Automobile Row Lots
211-213 and 217-219 North Broad
What a pisser. This perfectly usable space on the 200 block of North Broad Street between Race and Vine has been soiling up this block for the last 86 fucking years. The location has a history of being part of the early 20th Century Auto Showroom megacenter called Automobile Row. Despite seeing many occupants over a century of constant development, this piece of shit is now and has been a crappy surface parking lot. Two of them right next to each other, in fact. The story of this lot is told by how it splits into two properties: 211-213 North Broad and 215-217 North Broad.
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
211-213 and 217-219 North Broad
What a pisser. This perfectly usable space on the 200 block of North Broad Street between Race and Vine has been soiling up this block for the last 86 fucking years. The location has a history of being part of the early 20th Century Auto Showroom megacenter called Automobile Row. Despite seeing many occupants over a century of constant development, this piece of shit is now and has been a crappy surface parking lot. Two of them right next to each other, in fact. The story of this lot is told by how it splits into two properties: 211-213 North Broad and 215-217 North Broad.
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Empty Lot of the Week-- October 15th
Big-ass Billboard Lot
2046 Chestnut Street
Goddammit, I hate this shitbird lot. Its only one address wide but pisses me off way more than the much larger one a couple of doors to the east. This craptonious strip of asphalt with its ostentatious-ass 800 square-foot advertising wall has been stuck in this configuration for at least 79 fucking years. Yeah, you read that right. SEVENTY-NINE FUCKING YEARS. How the hell has this been allowed to happen?
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
2046 Chestnut Street
Goddammit, I hate this shitbird lot. Its only one address wide but pisses me off way more than the much larger one a couple of doors to the east. This craptonious strip of asphalt with its ostentatious-ass 800 square-foot advertising wall has been stuck in this configuration for at least 79 fucking years. Yeah, you read that right. SEVENTY-NINE FUCKING YEARS. How the hell has this been allowed to happen?
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Empty Lot of the Week-- October 1st
James Forten School NIMBY Lot
414-416 South 6th Street
James Forten gets no goddamn respect. He was an African American figure about 1000 times more important than the same old handful of black leaders trotted out every February. This badass was a Revolutionary War hero, one of the earliest abolitionists, started one of the earliest (if not the first) racially diverse workplaces in America, and is arguably directly responsible for the entire black population of Philadelphia (and Pennsylvania). Did I mention that he lived seven months of his life in a dungeon in the lower decks of a British ship? Or that he once walked from Brooklyn to Philadelphia? Or that he was one of the richest self-made men in America? So what does James Forten get for all his great works, his suffering, his contribution to American life? AN EMPTY FUCKING LOT!!!!
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
414-416 South 6th Street
James Forten gets no goddamn respect. He was an African American figure about 1000 times more important than the same old handful of black leaders trotted out every February. This badass was a Revolutionary War hero, one of the earliest abolitionists, started one of the earliest (if not the first) racially diverse workplaces in America, and is arguably directly responsible for the entire black population of Philadelphia (and Pennsylvania). Did I mention that he lived seven months of his life in a dungeon in the lower decks of a British ship? Or that he once walked from Brooklyn to Philadelphia? Or that he was one of the richest self-made men in America? So what does James Forten get for all his great works, his suffering, his contribution to American life? AN EMPTY FUCKING LOT!!!!
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Empty Lot of the Week-- September 17th
George Gordon's Lot
300 Arch Street
Ok, so Old City has a whole shitload of surface parking lots and even a few completely unused slumlord-owed patches of vacant land. Nonetheless, I'm pretty sure that this little lot irks me the most. That's right. This corner of landscaping at the southwest corner of 3rd and Arch with that ugly green metal box on it is indeed an empty lot and has been such for 50 goddamn years.
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
300 Arch Street
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| Pathetic! |
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Empty Lot of the Week-- September 3rd
Poplar Stores Tabas Family Foundation Lot
Bounded by Delawares Avenue, Poplar and North Penn Streets
Upon first inspection of this lot, it seems pretty innocent. A large triangle of land created by the fork between Delaware Avenue and North Penn Street with the first segment of Poplar Street running along the back. It looks like the front lawn of the Yards Brewery, a clean, green, public space sporting some barely legal billboards. Nonetheless, you should know that this is a perfectly-buildable, privately-owned patch of empty lot.
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
Bounded by Delawares Avenue, Poplar and North Penn Streets
Upon first inspection of this lot, it seems pretty innocent. A large triangle of land created by the fork between Delaware Avenue and North Penn Street with the first segment of Poplar Street running along the back. It looks like the front lawn of the Yards Brewery, a clean, green, public space sporting some barely legal billboards. Nonetheless, you should know that this is a perfectly-buildable, privately-owned patch of empty lot.
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Empty Lot of the Week-- August 20th
Schuylkill River NIMBY Lot
210 South 25th Street
This poor empty lot. Its never even had a real building on it. A sad, flat, decrepit piece of shit decade after decade. Now that this little triangle of land finally has the chance to be filled, a whole slew of NIMBYs have swooped down to try and stop it for mind-numbingly silly reasons.
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
210 South 25th Street
This poor empty lot. Its never even had a real building on it. A sad, flat, decrepit piece of shit decade after decade. Now that this little triangle of land finally has the chance to be filled, a whole slew of NIMBYs have swooped down to try and stop it for mind-numbingly silly reasons.
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Empty Lot of the Week-- August 6th
Reading-Inquirer Lot
East Side of 16th Street between Callowhill and Hamilton Streets
This is one sad empty lot. It has changed over and over again through the decades, but has remained a depressed piece of shit every time. This surface parking lot has gone through so many reincarnations and transformations that they become hard to keep track of. Yet for the last 150 years or so, this lot hasn't had one bit of luck.
Read more about it at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
East Side of 16th Street between Callowhill and Hamilton Streets
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| As seen from 16th and Callowhill |
Read more about it at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Empty Lot of the Week-- July 23rd
Chestnut Street Bridge Lot
2320-2330 Chestnut Street
Sometimes, when an empty surface parking lot gets decorated too heavily, we all forget that there's supposed to be a fucking building in its place. This is one such lot, disguised by art, shameful in origin, and with little or no chance of being filled in the next 1,000 lifetimes. It doesn't seem like a big deal-- a little sunken lot with a beautiful mural on it. Nonetheless, that's no excuse to keep a lot empty for over 50 fucking years.
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
2320-2330 Chestnut Street
Sometimes, when an empty surface parking lot gets decorated too heavily, we all forget that there's supposed to be a fucking building in its place. This is one such lot, disguised by art, shameful in origin, and with little or no chance of being filled in the next 1,000 lifetimes. It doesn't seem like a big deal-- a little sunken lot with a beautiful mural on it. Nonetheless, that's no excuse to keep a lot empty for over 50 fucking years.
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Empty Lot of the Week-- July 9th
Social Service UArts Cemetery Lot
310-316 South 13th Street
This is the emptiest lot I can think of. It doesn't look too serious: a 60-foot wide parking lot behind a University of the Arts dorm. Nonetheless, the emptiness of this lot becomes clear when you realize that this piece of land has NEVER had a building on it. Ever! This 60 foot gap on 13th Street has been there forever. Only a few feet under that asphalt is some original virgin Philadelphia soil. Now that's an empty lot.
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
310-316 South 13th Street
This is the emptiest lot I can think of. It doesn't look too serious: a 60-foot wide parking lot behind a University of the Arts dorm. Nonetheless, the emptiness of this lot becomes clear when you realize that this piece of land has NEVER had a building on it. Ever! This 60 foot gap on 13th Street has been there forever. Only a few feet under that asphalt is some original virgin Philadelphia soil. Now that's an empty lot.
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Empty Lot of the Week-- June 25th
Eakins Oval Surface Parking Disaster Area
The Southeastern End of Eakins Oval
How the fuck does a ROAD become an empty lot? Who thought this would ever be a good idea? This shitbag parking lot has infested Eakins Oval for almost 50 years and is finally in the process of being wiped the fuck out. To be fair, its not like this lot goes totally unused. Though it just parks cars for 99% of the time, its also the jumping off point for charity walks/marathons and serves as the meeting area for tours and shit. Also, the big events on the Parkway often put this ~460 foot long piece of asphalt to good use.
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
The Southeastern End of Eakins Oval
How the fuck does a ROAD become an empty lot? Who thought this would ever be a good idea? This shitbag parking lot has infested Eakins Oval for almost 50 years and is finally in the process of being wiped the fuck out. To be fair, its not like this lot goes totally unused. Though it just parks cars for 99% of the time, its also the jumping off point for charity walks/marathons and serves as the meeting area for tours and shit. Also, the big events on the Parkway often put this ~460 foot long piece of asphalt to good use.
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Empy Lot of the Week-- June 11th
Pat's and Geno's Shame Lot
Corner of 9th/Wharton/Passyunk
What in the fuck? This area is a major Tourista Zone! Why has this lot been empty for over 20 years? Why was it ever allowed to get empty in the first place? What an embarassment. Hopefully, this shitty motherfucker can get filled in soon. Don't get your hopes up-- there's a mural.
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
Corner of 9th/Wharton/Passyunk
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| Pitiful. Look how many out-of-towners see this lot at any given moment! |
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Empty Lot of the Week-- May 28th
Washington Masonic Three Banks Lot
709-713 Chestnut Street
This lot is the kind that lasts forever. Its not like there's a lack of parking around here-- there are parking garages and larger surface lots all over the place. Its that fucking mural. That's what will keep this shitty lot alive forever. Though the murals we find all over the city are meant more as placeholders than actual development, there have been plenty of incidents whereby development covering a mural has caused a NIMBY explosion.
Read more at the Philadelphia Citypaper's Naked City Blog!
709-713 Chestnut Street
This lot is the kind that lasts forever. Its not like there's a lack of parking around here-- there are parking garages and larger surface lots all over the place. Its that fucking mural. That's what will keep this shitty lot alive forever. Though the murals we find all over the city are meant more as placeholders than actual development, there have been plenty of incidents whereby development covering a mural has caused a NIMBY explosion.
Read more at the Philadelphia Citypaper's Naked City Blog!
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Empty Lot of the Week-- May 14th
Hidden Grasshit Lot
Northeast Corner of Spruce Street and 38th Parallel Place
This pile of dirt and grass is NOT part of the Korean War Memorial Park to the north and east. This is a straight-up empty lot that's managed to stay hidden due to all the open space around it, disguised as part of the surrounding park and plaza. Empty for over 50 years, this shitty patch of fuck has witnessed the entire history of our great city.
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
Northeast Corner of Spruce Street and 38th Parallel Place
This pile of dirt and grass is NOT part of the Korean War Memorial Park to the north and east. This is a straight-up empty lot that's managed to stay hidden due to all the open space around it, disguised as part of the surrounding park and plaza. Empty for over 50 years, this shitty patch of fuck has witnessed the entire history of our great city.
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Empty Lot of the Week-- April 30th
Metropolitan Hospital Lot
Bounded by the 8th, Vine, Franklin Streets and the Metroclub Condo
This right here sure turned out crappy. This shitbag surface lot is just one of many in the area surrounding Franklin Square. With endless auto traffic lining its perimeter, this 40-year-old lot will probably never go away. Nonetheless, there is a small glimmer of hope that it might some time soon.
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
Bounded by the 8th, Vine, Franklin Streets and the Metroclub Condo
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| From the Franklin Street/Franklin Square side. |
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Empty Lot of the Week-- April 16th
Spring Garden Violation Shit Lot
1200-1212 Spring Garden Street
This corner looks like shit. This isn't even the only empty lot at this location! How the fuck did it get to this point? With all the improvements happening nearly every few blocks in Philadelphia, how did this lot get so neglected? Fuck this lot and everything it stands for. An abandoned property whose tax delinquent owner is making a shitload of money on its FOUR billboards. That's right, FOUR. Oh, and fuck Clear Channel for leasing the billboard space from this slumlord. This all gets exacerbated by the fact that this neighborhood was once one of the best in the city!
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
1200-1212 Spring Garden Street
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| Blarf!!! Billboard-palooza! |
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Empty Lot of the Week-- April 2nd
Drexel Greenville Pre-NIMBY Lot
3428-3442 Lancaster Avenue
Lancaster Avenue gets no damn respect. This road was once a major thoroughfare-- one of the most important single streets in early America. This surface lot that sits on its 3400 block sucks ass. Though the lot's days SHOULD be numbered, a small group of angry NIMBYs is determined to keep it a surface lot for the rest of time.
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
3428-3442 Lancaster Avenue
Lancaster Avenue gets no damn respect. This road was once a major thoroughfare-- one of the most important single streets in early America. This surface lot that sits on its 3400 block sucks ass. Though the lot's days SHOULD be numbered, a small group of angry NIMBYs is determined to keep it a surface lot for the rest of time.
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Empty Lot of the Week-- March 19th
PennDot PPA Realen Fail Lot
Bounded by Spring, 15th, 16th, and Vine Streets with a parking garage in the middle
Though most empty lots piss me off, I can understand how they form. Sometimes its a patch of old buildings too far gone to save that get knocked down. Sometimes there's actually a need for surface parking in the area. Sometimes an owner just doesn't have the resources to save it. This one, however, pisses me off like no other. This is a lot that was cleared for development that was a shitty idea from the rip. On top of that, I hate empty lots that take over what were previously a whole bunch of little streets, and this is one of those as well. Wanna know what else I hate? Parking garages that are right next to surface parking lots. This is one of those, too!!! Even worse, the garage has empty lots on both sides. How much worse can it get? Much worse.
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
Bounded by Spring, 15th, 16th, and Vine Streets with a parking garage in the middle
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| This is the only way to see both sides of the lot. Image from Google. |
Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!
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