We were traveling through Powelton Village the other day and spied a very minor construction project, but it looked pretty unusual so we figured it was worth a mention. Thanks to its architecture, this neighborhood was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, but for whatever reason, it's not locally listed. So many blocks in the neighborhood possesses a varied collection of homes that were mostly built in the 19th century, and today we look at the 3300 block of Hamilton Street. After seemingly falling into some disrepair, 3311 Hamilton St. is now getting a major facelift.
According to the Powelton Village History website, 3311 Hamilton St. was built around 1870 and with its neighbor is "a three-story cruciform plan Italianate style double, with a bracketed overhang typical of Powelton neighborhood." We don't see the building as being especially significant by itself, but it seems to have an important place in the context of the rest of the neighborhood. And there are several buildings in the area that are almost identical to the building you see pictured above. But an ongoing addition effort will totally change its look.
Notably, the developers are eliminating the pitched roof on the three story section of the property, squaring off the front of the home. In a way, this will give the building a more standard appearance, but looking at the plans it appears they'll maintain a single window on the 3rd floor, so the building will look like it's winking once the work is finished.
On the one hand, it's good to see that this building will be renovated and reused and not demolished and replaced by unfortunate student housing architecture. On the other hand, we wonder whether additional safeguards are needed to preserve the character of Powelton Village as time moves along and student housing demand continues to grow near Drexel. We confess, we're not as plugged into the politics of this neighborhood, can people who live in the area fill us in on whether the community would support a local historic district? Or would the additional regulation make life more aggravating and complicated for people living in the area?