Dead-Ass Proposal of the Week-- March 12th

Powelton Avenue Bridge

Spanning the Powelton Yards and Schuylkill River at Powelton Avenue



Where it would be if it was ever built. Original aerial from Google.

             Ya know, its one thing to have a Dead-Ass Proposal that was active for 5, 10, or even 20 years. That's shitty in itself. But a Dead-Ass Proposal brought up again and again and AGAIN over the course of nearly 90 years? That rigoddamndiculous!!!! Well that's this one. This bridge proposal was attempted numerous times in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and failed every last time. This is the Powelton Avenue Bridge.
             Read more at the Philadelphia Citypaper's Naked City Blog!

Empty Lot of the Week-- March 5th

Asbury Penn Lot

3311-3359 Chestnut Street

            What the fuck, man? The University of Pennsylvania was actually using buildings on this lot, but then fucked it all up! How the hell does that happen? Though there are plans to make this lot better, for now, it remains an asphalt ocean of shitslices consisting of two different surface parking lots.
             Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!!


Old-Ass Building of the Week-- March 4th

Keystone Battery, Battery A

4111 Mantua Ave

               
             
                Created in 1861, the Keystone Battery started as a volunteer infantry company and later formed into a light artillery battery. After fighting many battles in the Civil War, the unit moved back to Philadelphia and re-organized themselves and was accepted into the Pennsylvania National Guard.      
              Read more at the Hidden City Daily!

Dead-Ass Proposal of the Week-- February 26th

Bridge Hall/Welcome Hall/Convention Hall

Straddling the Schuylkill River between Market and Chestnut Streets



East/West facade. Image from the Athenaeum of Philadelphia.

              This proposal is insane now and was even more insane in 1910. Its hard to believe that the idea of a Convention Hall built over a river would EVER be taken seriously, but here we have one that was designed down to the last stitch in a time period where a project like this would seem nearly impossible.
             Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!

Empty Lot of the Week-- February 19th

Chinatown College of Pharmacy Lot

139 North 10th Street/ 100 Block of North Hutchinson Street

From the Hutchinson Street side.

                        Here's another Chinatown lot that doesn't make any goddamn sense. Though its actually three lots combined, the center property on this location has been a surface parking lot for over 70 years. Though mostly hidden by buildings, any empty space in Chinatown becomes extremely conspicuous, due to the rest of the neighborhood's crowded nature.
                       Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!!

Old-Ass Building of the Week-- February 18th

Greenhouse Market

1324 Chestnut Street

               This little building, kind of boring today, used to be a kick-ass trust company HQ. Wait 'til you see the Dead-Ass Proposal for an addition to it! Read more at the Hidden City Daily! Here's a pic of it's original configuration:

Its all the way to the right.

Dead-Ass Proposal of the Week-- February 12th

Philadelphia CityCenter

1301 Market Street

The only picture of it is from this model of an unrelated Dead-Ass Proposal. Its the one with the two goofy rectangles at the top.

                 Ever wonder why there's a big empty hole at 13th and Market? Less than a block away from City Hall? Prime real estate that can't get moving on ANYTHING and has been empty for nearly 20 years? Well, this is it. This is the reason that piece of fuck just sits there parking cars night and day, embarrassing the fuck out of the city. It all started in the late 1980s.
                Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!