The intersection of 6th St., Christian St., and Passyunk Ave. is buzzing lately, with the year-old Shot Tower Coffee on the corner, the ever-more-likely-to-be-permanent Triangle Park, and a construction project at 606 Christian St., the scale of which we didn’t really appreciate until yesterday. We knew that the home that had once stood there had been torn down and that a new home was replacing it, but we confess we were surprised by the size and the look of the new building when we stopped by.

The old building, now demolished

The new building- very different

The old building fit in well with the building on the right, while the new building matches the height of the building on the left. The stone facing is not so common in the neighborhood, though a property across the street uses a similar look to decent effect. The setbacks on part of the second and third stories and all of the fourth story definitely provide the building with a unique facade, though we won’t know for sure how we feel about the look of the place until it’s complete. This building will definitely be an upgrade over the weathered property it’s replacing, and it’s looking like the owners will be able to look out onto a park for years to come.

Recent image of Triangle Park, right across the street

According to the minutes of the October RDA meeting, the RDA will move forward to acquire 601 Christian St., the land that makes up Triangle Park, on behalf of Neighborhood Garden Association. The matter still needs to go before City Council from what we can tell, but assuming that Council votes to support, it’s looking like Triangle Park will be here to stay. Wonderful news for the neighborhood, and for whoever ends up living in the fancy house across the street.

Yay green space!