In the world full of red light districts, Philadelphia now seems to have none. Now that the last porn theatre in Center City is gone, we wonder is it time for a rebirth and a rebranding of 2100 through 2300 Market Street?
Looking east from 22nd
Right now it’s a strip of vacant and hardly known storefronts. It’s like a cracked gray tooth between the downtown office buildings and 30th Street Station. Some of the locations have been abandoned for years. Like Hoagie City, across the street from Trader Joe’s. We wrote it about last winter. It’s in as blighted a shape as it was last year, plus one. Now with the porn gone, we wonder if developers may be more attracted to this area. Now, just about the only reason to go to 21st and Market is to go to Trader Joe’s (okay and the Salvation Army).
Trader Joe's and Murano
But it seems, it’s more complex than getting rid of a few leases. Several properties on this strip are remnants of the real estate empire of former Philly mogul Sam Rappaport. He made a fortune buying up decayed Center City buildings and playing hardball with them. He’d let them crumble until the price was right.
Well, developers, what is the price?
The salt of Rappaport’s Market St. concrete fiefdom is managed by Richard Basciano, according to a recent article on Philly.com. Now Basciano is playing his dearly departed boss’ old trick. It’s good business. It’s bad aesthetics, at least for now. Right now he wants the City to include a lone firehouse on the 2100 block so Basciano can wheel the entire block.
Looking west from 22nd. What's left of the Forum
The future possibilities are enlivening. Imagine the chance to redesign three blocks in Center City. Imagine some green space in there. Maybe some added density, in the vein of the recently expanded AAA building. And some vibrant new retail spaces, providing places to go for new area residents as well as people walking across the river after arriving in town via train or Bolt Bus.
Ah yes, we can picture it now. And it looks pretty good.
–Lou Mancinelli