In Francisville

If all the plans presented for different parcels along the 1600 block of Ridge Avenue come to fruition, it would be a transformation from corner to corner, which is something we've seen at different locations throughout Francisville the past few years (see 19th & Poplar). We recently shared plans for a

On Ridge Avenue, it's no secret that it's been a rough go for years between Broad Street and Girard Avenue when it comes to blight, vacancy, and old dilapidated buildings. But of late, there's been renewed optimism for Ridge thanks to projects large and small. At Broad Street, the mythic Divine

In Francisville, Ridge Ave is slowly turning around. Let us say it again, that redevelopment along Ridge in Francisville is happening, consistently, it seems, but slowly. Near Broad Street, the JBJ Soul Homes development from Project H.O.M.E. represents the largest development on the corridor, but there are several smaller projects coming online deeper in the

North Broad Street south of Temple has improved dramatically in recent years, despite the presence of two enormous blighted buildings. But times are changing. As you're surely well aware by now, renovation efforts are finally underway at the near mythic Divine Lorraine at Broad & Fairmount. And two autumns ago, the Inquirer

For many years, the 1600 block of Ogden Street was a vast vacant wasteland. A number of City-owned lots sprinkled among privately owned lots combined with an a stunted Ridge Avenue made developing the block a challenge to say the least. And so it sat.But as Francisville has seen considerable

We got a tip the other day about some new construction on the 800 block of N. 15th Street. Because it's what we do, we decided we'd check it out, remembering a couple of other projects on this block that we'd covered in the past. When we visited the site,

Last week, a couple of folks who work at the still shiny JBJ Soul Homes tipped us off about some new construction activity at the northwest corner of 15th & Swain. It took us a little while to get to this Francisville corner, which was a vacant lot for years

A new building, now under construction, will contribute to the slow revitalization we've been eyeing on the 800 block of North Broad Street. When we passed by recently, we saw the new building at 826 N. Broad St., just below Broad & Parrish.Recent viewThe four-story structure is being developed by Konkrete

We've seen serious changes in Francisville in recent years, mostly in the form of long-vacant lots filling in with residential or mixed-use development. The concentration of this redevelopment has taken place near the 19th & Poplar intersection, though we've recently started to see additional infill closer to Ridge Avenue, the

Around the corner from the faded Metropolitan Opera House, a huge vacant lot is on the outs at 15th & Poplar. For years, this lot has been used for parking for the nearby Second Pilgrim Baptist Church, but it seems that won't be possible for very much longer.Two lots further