On the northern end of Logan Square, large and small project alike are changing the dynamic of the neighborhood. Perhaps the most identifiable of those changes will be the huge project that will see a new Whole Foods and 293 new apartments at 22nd & Pennsylvania, currently the site of the Best Western hotel. Add in the Granary project now finishing up at 20th & Callowhill and you have present and a future game changer for the area. But there are also smaller projects ongoing. Take the southwest corner of 19th & Spring Garden, for example.

The corner

The condo building at 1904-08 Spring Garden St. was built around six years ago. Though some of the units are owner occupied, many of them are rentals. Next door, 1910 Spring Garden St. is currently under construction. You may recall, we told you about this project back in January. Interestingly, a commenter gave us the heads up that the only reason that 1910 is being built in the first place is because the construction of the condo building next door resulted in the collapse of the building that stood here previously. Such a shame. On the southwest corner, 1900 Spring Garden St. is currently undergoing a facade restoration, according to Historic District requirements.

Construction ongoing

Facade needed some love

It’s a strange dichotomy to think about the historic mansions in this area that point to the opulent past of the neighborhood. Bush Hill, the estate of Independence Hall designer Andrew Hamilton, used to stand east of 19th & Spring Garden, while Robert Morris’ tract The Hill was just to the west. By 1815, both estates had been dissolved but large tracts of land did remain.

So, while today, 19th & Spring Garden is as far from farmland as Chester County is from Philadelphia, it is a thriving urban block, that, due to these improvements, will continue to strengthen the neighborhood. And nearby, a bakery recently opened at 20th & Brandywine, so there’s fresh charm in the area as well. And maybe some fresh bread, too.

–Lou Mancinelli