Old-Ass Building of the Week-- September 16th

Parke Building/ Markley Building/ Bank and Trust Company of West Philadelphia

17 South 52nd Street

Pic by Brad Maule

                  This is yet another building that I've wondered about forever. Many attempts I've made to research this building over the past 2.5 years failed, but I was finally able to get the skinny on this big bitch-bastard on 52nd Street once and for all. Check it out at the Hidden City Daily!

Dead-Ass Proposal of the Week-- September 10th

Penn's Landing Tower

735 South Columbus Boulevard

            It seems that all Ensemble Real Estate can do for Philadelphia is an ensemble of Dead-Ass Proposals. Though they did finally get something done recently (Courtyard by Marriott in the Navy Yard), these motherfuckers seem to be full of broken promises. This, the Penn's Landing Tower, is just one of many.
            Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!

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!

Dead-Ass Proposal of the Week-- August 28th

Center City West a.k.a Universe Square


30th and Market



Design by Harari Yahya and Wan Zawber. Photo: University of Illinois at Urbana-Campaign

                        This right here stretches the definition of "Dead-Ass Proposal", being that this was never seriously proposed for construction. This is a series of designs made by architecture grad students in 1992 showing possible ideas for the extension of Center City across the Schuylkill. While a completely pie-in-the-sky idea back then, the leaping of highrise architecture into the West has become a reality in the here and now.
                       Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!

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!

Old-Ass Building of the Week-- August 19th

Wharton Hall

2601 Wharton Street or 1268 South 26th Street

Pic by Brad Maule

                   Check it out-- this building in the Gray's Ferry neighborhood was pretty much forgotten... Until now!! Read all about it at the Hidden City Daily!

Dead-Ass Proposal of the Week-- August 13th

New Philadelphia Housing Authority Headquarters

2012 Chestnut Street

                Though a bunch of folks hated it, I always thought this proposal for a new PHA headquarters wasn't such a bad idea. It removes a blighted building, fills the empty lot next door, and brightens up a pretty bleak Center City block. Nonetheless, the powers of hardcore preservationists and good ol' classic Philadelphia government agency sketchiness brought it down.
                 Read more at the Philadelphia City Paper's Naked City Blog!