Ridiculous light masts aside, the last few years have been very very good to North Broad Street. We've actually lost count of the number of buildings that have been repurposed as apartments, adding new residents and a vibrancy that had been missing here for decades. The lastest addition to the mix is Mural Lofts, a project from EB Realty which converted the former Thaddeus Stevens School of Practice into 59 apartments at Broad & Spring Garden. The name of the project comes from the awesome mural on the building's western wall, a mural you've probably noticed at some point when passing by on Broad Street.
As you can see, the building's architecture is wonderful, and we're fortunate that the developers were able to reuse the structure, built in 1926. Though the building was used more recently as an administration building, it retained many original details inside. Some of those features have been integrated into the apartments units.
Years ago, we pondered this building, shortly after EB Realty put the property under contract. At that time, they were considering a mix of apartments on the lower floors and "art-based commercial uses" on the upper floors. We're not sure what led to the change in concept, nor are we exactly sure what art-basd commercial uses would have entailed, we're just pleased that the building has been preserved and renovated. We also previously wondered about the large vacant lot next door, at the corner. Per Plan Philly, there are plans for a future retail complex there, but we don't have any more details at the moment.
For those who might want to live here, Mural Lofts features a mix of one and two bedroom units, with prices for the smaller units starting at $1275/month and the larger units starting at $2470/month. Even if you're mildly interested in renting an apartment, it's probably worth taking a tour, just to see the cool reuse efforts in person.
Next up for EB Realty, the Divine Lorraine! Soon enough, folks.