We were cruising through Grays Ferry the other day and some construction caught our eye at 30th & Dickinson. We don’t spend so much time in this neighborhood so we confess, we didn’t remember what had been here before. Thanks to the magic of Google Street View though, we quickly discovered that it was previously a one-story warehouse with a sweet mural preaching the virtue of “Common Ground.” Today, it’s a pile of dirt and some construction equipment.

So… what’s happening here? Don’t get too excited guys, permits indicate that this property will turn into a parking lot. You may be wondering, what’s the need for a parking lot at 30th & Dickinson? We’re pretty sure it’ll be for the Carl Moore Health Center, located at the other end of this block, at 31st & Reed. This place opened in September and is associated with GPHA, and offers various medical services, including family medicine, dental care, behavioral health, nutrition, and podiatry.

The health center is a great example of adaptive reuse, having taken over a building that was home for many years to D’Ambrosio bakery. Before that, the building was a supermarket. The bakery closed down in 2013 after operating since 1939. It’s a unfortunate that Philadelphia lost a longtime business, but it’s at least nice to see its former home survive in a different form.

Clearly, the health center had filled a need in the community, and the parking needs are not being met. We’re generally opposed to surface parking lots, but with little possibility of development in this part of town, and considering the benefit that will come from this parking lot, we won’t push back against it. And if they can find a blank wall somewhere on the property to bring back the mural that was lost to the parking, we’ll feel even better about the situation.