In Passyunk Square

Back in the fall of 2011, Murray Development LLC built a new house at 1203 Ellsworth St., on the western half of a community garden. By the time spring rolled around, they had sold the 2,100 sqft home for a little over $400K, and what must have been a tidy profit.

We see plenty of rehabs around town getting new front facades, but it's rare that we see a building getting a new side wall. But that's just what we encountered at 1308 S. 7th St., where we're guessing a renovation that involved a new front facade necessitated the replacement of

As we often do, we were perusing the ZBA calendar the other day and noticed that owners of 1204 S. 12th St. were hoping to construct six new single-family homes with carports and a shared driveway. It was only when we swung by this address that it occurred to us

A little over a month ago, we lamented the closing of the famous and wonderful Carman's Country Kitchen. Carmen's decision to close her doors after twenty-three years represented the end of an era, and left long-time regulars scurrying for a new brunch place to call their own.

At the time, we

A reader checked in recently, wondering about 1426-30 S. 6th St., the former home of Meglio Fresh Foods. Apparently, this business moved from the corner of 6th & Wilder to deep South Philly a couple of years ago, leaving these buildings empty for the time being.

With a footprint of 52'x70',

Way back in the summer of 2011, we first brought the vacant and blighted armory building at 1221 S. Broad St. to your attention. At the time, it was mentioned as an aside to the building that was being constructed next door, which obstructed an underwhelming Frank Sinatra mural. According

Last May, we checked in on the old, gross warehouse at the corner of 12th & Latona, and were excited to discover that it had been demolished at last. At that time, the new mixed-use building across the street, built by the same developer, looked like it was nearing completion.

Last month, Carman's Country Kitchen shut its doors for the final time, after holding down the corner of 11th & Wharton for twenty-three years. This corner spot, with room for twenty diners, typically served a rotating menu of four dishes, created by the legendary Carman herself. With delicious offerings and

We were in the neighborhood the other day, and about to stop for a quick slice at Ianelli's when we noticed a sign advertising three lots for sale on the 1300 block of E. Passyunk Avenue. Doing a little investigating, we learned that these three lots, 1312-16 E. Passyunk Ave.,

For years, we've wondered about 622 Federal St., a home that doesn't look like anything else you might find in this neighborhood or any other in Philadelphia, for that matter.

We're not saying we love the building's appearance or hate it, but it's certainly one of the more unique homes we've