The area from 10th St. to Broad St., Spring Garden St. to Fairmount Ave. has seen tons of development in recent years, and we commonly refer to it in shorthand as the 'Spring Arts' neighborhood. Some of this development is related to the present- proximity to Spring Garden Street, easy access to highways, the growth of North Broad Street, etc. But we think the driving force behind development here is a collective hope that the Reading Viaduct will soon be turned into Philly's coolest park. When that day finally comes, people will be clawing at each other to live here. Probably.
Architecturally, the area is in interesting study in contemporary new construction residential architecture. We're talking about like five different brick colors and maybe ten different styles of sheathing for bay windows! Glancing down 12th Street, you can see some of the different varieties:
While the vacant land in this neighborhood remains plentiful, there are several blocks that are more or less intact with hundred plus year old homes. The 1200 block of Mount Vernon Street provides us with an example of what likely stood where the homes above now stand.
At the end of this block, plans are on the table for two new duplexes which will surely look more like the homes in the first picture than the homes in the second. Temple Resev LLC owns the corner of 12th & Mount Vernon, which extends all the way to Clay Street. They bought some of the lot from a private owner, and the rest from the Redevelopment Authority.
Assuming the ZBA approves the project, you'll still be able to enjoy the mural you see above for the time being. The lot next to the mural is privately owned and the lot next to that is owned by PHDC. Then again, given the number of new projects in the area, it wouldn't be shocking to see both lots get redeveloped sometime soon, joining the future duplexes on the corner.