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Hidden City Philadelphia
Fitler Club at 2400 Market a Study in Contrasts
Upwardly mobile millennials and Gen Xers tend to spend a lot of time and money on fitness centers, coworking spaces, trendy restaurants, bars, art museums, and childcare. So, why not put all these puzzle pieces together under one roof and throw in 14 luxury hotel rooms, a ballroom, a movie theater, bowling alley, HD golf simulator, a salon, and a killer view of the Schuylkill River? The result is Fitler Club at 2400 Market Street.
Anatomy of a Renovation
A soft breeze lifted curtains in sunlight on someone else’s former life. They left most everything behind. Apparently, no one treasured that plush furniture, after all. This quiet scene was the first hint that the 19th century brick building would be renovated for entirely new use and occupancy. As if emerging from a page in Richard McGuire’s classic, Here, one could imagine a parade of different families passing through this very same place, over decades, their joys and sorrows etched into ordinary days with occasional triumphs.
Historic Port Richmond School Scheduled for June Demolition
In its 129 years of life, the James Martin School in Port Richmond has seen two world wars, several global pandemics, and generations of Philadelphians come and go. Yet, its solid granite walls are still standing firm, seemingly unscathed.But not for much longer. The three-story building’s days are now numbered.
Germantown ArtHaus Paints a Bright Future for a Local Black Landmark
Keisha Whatley’s excitement over her current project, Germantown ArtHaus, is clear. As we toured the Swain Building at 6228 Germantown Avenue she shared her multilayered vision for the property. Whatley hopes it will one day be filled with a café, a gallery, artists’ studios, and a hub for young artists to connect and develop a community. Old newspapers, an antique typewriter, a well-used printing press, and piles of dust and rubble highlight an existing legacy that she is working on continuing inside the historic building.
Saving the Terra Cotta Temple: New Hope for Conkling-Armstrong House Emerges
Most billboards are eyesores, obscuring more interesting views of buildings, landscapes, and scenery. If only they could be removed. But what about when the “billboard” is an object worth looking at, for providing a window into the past? If only it could be saved. It appears that the fortunes of the historic Conkling-Armstrong House in Nicetown-Tioga, one of the most unique buildings in the city, are trending in that direction. Constructed in 1898, the twin dwelling served as an architectural showcase for the eponymous Conkling-Armstrong Terra Cotta Company, a major manufacturer of architectural terra cotta used in the construction of various buildings around the Philadelphia region.
Charitable Church in Center City Seeks Helping Hand With Repairs
Members of Arch Street United Methodist Church consider their 155 year-old house of worship to be an architectural treasure. However, in 2019 the City gave them an ultimatum: repair the unsafe condition of the church’s 233-foot steeple or shut the doors. Given the small congregation and the $6.9 million needed to complete restoration, it would appear to be among Philadelphia’s many churches destined for closure. Except for one important difference. Arch Street UMC isn’t just a place people go for spiritual sustenance. It is where many unhoused and food insecure individuals go for a hot meal, a shower, clothing, healthcare, and legal advocacy. Situated at the literal crossroads of the city at Broad and Arch Streets, the church has one of the most diverse and progressive congregations in Philadelphia.
Renovation Begins at Historic Mt. Airy Bank
In some ways, Mt. Airy can be overshadowed by the historic nature of its neighbor to the south, Germantown, and the bustling commercial success of Chestnut Hill to the north. But the redevelopment of a Roaring Twenties-era bank in the neighborhood is making a statement of its own: there is an interesting past, present, and future in Mt. Airy, too.
Three Local Landmarks Nominated to the National Register
In its meeting on May 12, the Philadelphia Historical Commission reviewed several petitions for alterations to historically designated properties. It also offered comments on three very different buildings in Northwest Philadelphia that have been nominated to the National Register of Historic Places. Requests for alterations to historically registered buildings are...
The Quaker Exile: A Hidden History Comes to Light
Did you ever hear about a group of leading Philadelphia Quakers who were banished to the Virginia frontier for over seven months during the American Revolution? Did you know that these men were never charged, never convicted, and even denied the centuries-old right to habeas corpus?. Even if you are...
Using Pennsylvania’s Anti-Blight Law to Save Historic Properties
Pennsylvania, home to old communities of every sort, suffers from a kind of blight that goes hand in hand with its deep history. The problem of abandoned or neglected properties is felt all across the Commonwealth, found in both sprawling, urban centers like Philadelphia and in small, post-industrial cities and rural towns.
Ellis House, Remnant of North Broad’s Gilded Age, Headed for Auction
At the end of the 19th century, the Charles T. Ellis House was just one more abode in a raucous lineup of residences belonging to the nouveau riche on North Broad Street. This is where Philadelphia’s industrialist class celebrated its newfound wealth by building ostentatious homes along the newly-burgeoning roadway.
Unlisted Philadelphia: Parkway House
Built: 1952-53 In her 70th year, the Parkway House is showing signs of age. The brick facade has darkened, and gleaming new condo towers rise on the skyline. Yet, the building retains a distinctive place on the cityscape. One of the first luxury residences planted along the relatively young Benjamin...
Restoration Role Model: 1000 St. Bernard Street
Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published in the Spring 2023 issue of Extant, a publication of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia. Farragut Street Architects worked with developer Linford Martin to repurpose a rare industrial building in a primarily residential Victorian-era neighborhood into seven loft apartments and an independent school serving students in grades K-12. Principal Kathy Dowdell and owner/developer Martin talked to Extant about the challenges they faced in restoring life to an important corner in their West Philadelphia community.
More is More: Reimagining Relics of the Gilded Age
Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published in the Spring 2023 issue of Extant, a publication of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia. In the first episode of the 2022 Discovery+ reality show Queen of Versailles Reigns Again, Jackie Siegel steps off her helicopter ready to inspect progress on the 90,000-square-foot mansion she and her husband are building. Siegel, a former engineer married to billionaire timeshare magnate David Siegel, founder of Westgate Resorts, has resumed the task of finishing the Florida mansion named for the Palace of Versailles after recovering from the financial crisis of 2008. When complete, Versailles will not only be the largest single-family home in America (“the size of a Super Walmart” is Siegel’s go-to comparison), but also the first with its very own Benihana kitchen, an exotic “bird garden,” and a pub with a 19th century bar interior shipped overseas from England. Although it may seem crass by comparison, the Siegels’ Versailles is just a contemporary spin on “conspicuous consumption,” a term coined during the Gilded Age by sociologist Thorstein Veblen. And while these ostentatious overtures highlight now, to an absurd degree, the disparity of wealth in our country, much as they did more than a hundred years ago, the success of that TV show (recently picked up for a second run on HBO), along with the same network’s eponymous historical drama, sure seems to prove that we do appreciate the spectacle.
Old PECO Showroom on North Broad to be Revived for Youth Trade School
What a little love and attention can do. Take something on the verge of being left behind and forgotten, then make it shine again. That dynamic was on display on April 12 at a construction groundbreaking celebration in North Philadelphia. The three-story structure at 2309 N. Broad Street stands out...
How Sweet It Is: Old Ice Cream Factory Now Specializes in Saving History
The Crane Ice Cream Factory at 256-70 S. 23rd Street opened in 1902. It stopped churning out vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry treats in the late 1930s. The handsome, two-story brick building, designed by engineering firm Ballinger & Perrot, now houses an unusual combination: luxury apartments and the Conservation Center for Arts & Historic Artifacts (CCAHA). In one part of the building, residents can be heard listening to WXPN in the morning while getting their kids ready for school. In another, skilled conservationists are busy preserving an astonishing array of works on paper–from a rare 18th century Koran to daguerreotypes taken by Philadelphia photographer Robert Cornelius to money salvaged from the safe of the sunken Italian passenger ship Andrea Doria.
Honoring Hakim’s, a West Philadelphia Landmark
In August 2023, West Philly will have a new historical marker. Hakim’s Bookstore and Gift Shop, founded in 1959, is one of the oldest Black-owned bookstores in the nation. It has served as an important gathering place for Black activists, intellectuals, and information-seekers for more than six decades. Hakim’s...
Boyhood Home of Alain LeRoy Locke Added to the Historic Register
The Philadelphia Historical Commission approved the nominations of three properties to the local historic register at its monthly meeting on April 14. The proposed demolition of an industrial building to make way for new construction was also given the go-ahead. The addition of the Alain LeRoy Locke House, a privately...
Construction Permits Issued for Willow Steam Plant
As drivers cut west across town on the Vine Street Expressway, the long-abandoned Willow Street Steam Generation Plant comes into view, a hulking creature from another era. On the south side of the highway is Center City’s growing, glassy skyline. But to the north, Willow Steam is all brick and rust. A trio of smokestacks and checkered metallic structures burst from the building’s boxy core like an industrial-strength fungus. To some, the building at 9th and Callowhill Streets exudes an odd beauty. To others, blight. Regardless, it appears to be here to stay.
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Hidden City Philadelphia of CultureTrust is dedicated to exploring Philadelphia’s urban landscape in all its complexity through journalism and public history.
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