In Spring Garden

A reader tipped us off a few weeks ago about a zoning notice at 314 N 16th St., a small building and lot just south of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office and just west of an onramp to I-676.

The zoning request, which was granted in December, calls for automobile and

According to a breaking news story from the Philadelphia Daily News, Bart Blatstein of Tower Investments has unveiled a bold new plan for North Broad Street. And it involves a casino.

Tower, which is about to begin work in earnest at the former state building at Broad and Spring Garden Sts., increased

Just a half a block south of the excitement on Fairmount Ave., a private garage will soon be replaced by a new house. On a quiet block and mere steps away from the Spring Gardens Community Garden and Clemente Playground, this garage at 1915 North St. seems like a fine candidate

Today, a reader tipped us off about a new sign at 1601 Mount Vernon St., the historic Robert Purvis House. You may remember, we told you about this blighted, deteriorating building a few months back, lamenting its continuing spiral toward probable collapse. Here's a shot of the building from that

A building that most recently was an auto tag service center could soon represent the next step in the revitalization of North Broad Street. Sitting directly to the south of the Divine Lorraine, this structure pales in comparison, architecturally. Okay fine. Most buildings in Philadelphia pale in comparison to the Divine Lorraine.

On

We've had our eye on this site since the fall, first telling you about this big and exciting project in October, and then showing you some ongoing demolition photos in December. 1424 Fairmount Ave. was most recently was a seafood warehouse, but has been completely demolished and a new structure is rising

According to a couple of different sources, Lorraine Hotel LP, owners of the Divine Lorraine building as well as the large lot to its rear, are on the verge of selling off the building. The agreement, with an unknown buyer, will be contingent on separating the land that the building

A reader asked us if we had any info about a vacant lot, 539-45 N 10th St., in the Spring Garden/Spring Arts neighborhood. There's a salon immediately to the south, a new construction mixed-use building to the north, and future phases of the Spring Arts Point development just beyond that.

While

Back in September, we brought an odd building to your attention in the Loft District. 449 N 13th St. is a new construction building with two condo units that channels the area's gritty industrial past with bold design choices.

And now, the building immediately to the south, 439-47 N 13th St.,

In West Poplar/Spring Garden/Spring Arts, there are plans for the development of a long vacant lot, at the northeast corner of 12th and Brandywine Sts.

This lot has an interesting past and a confusing present. For decades, it was the site of the John M. Ogden Public School, which was clearly