In West Philly

The intersection of 37th & Chestnut is as close to the heart of University City as you can get, with Penn, Drexel, CHOP, uCity Square, and so much more just blocks away. We find ourselves here today for two reasons: a construction check-in and a proposal unlike any we've ever

It is frankly quite astounding how often we find ourselves talking about the plans from the University of Pennsylvania. While it's no surprise that an organization with a $21-billion endowment can afford a building or two, the pure amount of construction taking place on and around campus is quite impressive

The drama around the University City Townhomes, the former affordable-housing complex that sits at 3900-60 Market St., has had many twists and turns over the years. Things became clearer back in November, when the last of the residents moved out and a zoning permit for demolition was issued by the

Just a block to the west from several apartments in the works, West Catholic Prep stands as one of the finest pieces of academic architecture in the city. The building opened in the 1920s and stands much the same today, despite somehow not being listed on the local Register of

With everything happening across the greatest city in the gosh darn university, we can sometimes lose our sense of timing when it comes to previous visits. Case in point? The several blocks of Chestnut St. in Spruce Hill, where project after project was set to change the face of an

The other day when we were visiting the former UScience's campus that St. Joe's plans to sell, we were caught off-guard by a looming orange presence. No, we don't mean an unexpected visit by Gritty, but by a strikingly contemporary facade hidden behind the braided branches of the trees of

You're likely familiar with St. Joseph's University, sitting on the western edge of the city, and you may also be familiar with the former USciences as well. But it's entirely possible that you were unaware that St. Joe's merged with USciences a couple years back, taking over the small campus

It was just a few weeks ago that we traipsed through the area around 30th Street Station to check out some of the major construction action taking place. One of those stops was at 3151 Market St., a gleaming new tower that is the second ground-up construction project taking place

Besides little cousins you haven't seen since last Thanksgiving (Hi guys!), few things can change as quickly as the built environment when several construction projects are taking place at once. After our trip to 30th Street Station to check out the updated, $550-million plans for a station revamp, we did

William H. Gray III 30th Street Station is one of the defining features of Philadelphia's built environment. Its prominent location, stately architecture, and importance as civic infrastructure help this building carve its place in the annals Philly's architectural lore. So, when we heard about a public meeting last week to