Condo of the Day: 111 S 15th Street #P204
This here is a listing for a penthouse condo at the Packard Grande; we covered another penthouse on the market in the building a couple months ago. We have nothing at all to say about the finishes in this unit. The 1,000-square-foot, two-bedroom is on the market for $484,000.
111 S 15th Street #P204 [Prudential] GMAP MLS
Just Another Day at the Divine Lorraine
With some visible crumbling.
Can We Keep Hope Alive for the Divine Lorraine? [Brownstoner]
Inside the Divine Lorraine [Brownstoner] GMAP
A Green, Mixed-Use Concept for North 4th
Developer Tiago Patricio, whose offbeat projects include a foursome of condos at Francis and Shirley, has revived a proposal he first brought to Northern Liberties Neighborhood Association zoning about a year ago. The project for 808-810 North Fourth Street, designed by Alex Duller at Fink Und Stange Architects, includes a green roof and an ELT Easy Green living wall along the elevator shaft exterior. Packed into a 33-foot-frontage lot just south of City Planter would be 626 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, topped with three 749-square-foot, full-floor one-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath condos with elevator access and a shared roof deck. The condos would be priced at around $299,000. The developer said the project had been tabled after the zoning committee last year asked for amendments to the project he felt would be unfeasible—namely to reduce the height to 35 feet and the number of residences to two. He then got city approval for a six-story office or storage building, as allowed under the current L4 industrial zoning, but "didn't want to build that." The current plan would max out around 50 feet with a small rooftop pilot house. The bulk of the roofline is at 42 feet. See the floorplans after the jump. GMAP
Stripping Down to Philly's First Theater Dynasty
Talk about American acting dynasties and you’ll hear the same names: Douglas, Huston, Fonda and Bridges. Talk about one with deep Philadelphia roots and it's Barrymore. Go further back in that bloodline and you’ll find the Drews, who owned the Arch Street Theatre. Go back even further in Philadelphia, and it’s all about the Durangs.
The who?
John Durang, the first American to make a living in the theater, saw a French hornpipe dance at the age of 14. He went home, copied what he remembered, then pleaded with his father to put up the dancer in the family boarding house in order to get a lesson.
Durang made his Philadelphia debut at 17. He calmed his nerves before the first performance by jumping on a trampoline backstage. Then he had the brilliant idea to fly onto the stage to start his high-energy performance. It worked. According to Mark Knowles in Tap Roots, the audience demanded an encore. Durang had none to offer, so he repeated his entire act.
Durang soon had a repertoire. At first, it revolved around his hornpipe. (You can hear a sample played here.) At the South Street Theater in November 1790 (where George and Martha Washington often went to see him) Durang promised a hornpipe dance “on 13 egges, Blindfolded, without breaking one.” He developed a dance from music composed for him “by Mr. Hoffmaster, a German Dwarf.” And, keeping with what seemed to be a popular theme, in yet another dance, he “transformed” from a 3-foot into a 6-foot woman.
Continue reading "Stripping Down to Philly's First Theater Dynasty"
NE Mummers on the Hunt for Bigger Digs
The Insider follows up on our post earlier this week about the Greater Kensington String Band, the Mummers' brigade based in Tacony, listing their headquarters for sale. As it turns out, the listing in no way indicates that the merry band is calling it quits; rather, they are hoping to sell the space in order to move into a larger one. Club president Tom Bezanis tells the Insider: "We do a lot of hall rentals, and we need a space that can handle a larger number of people. We have two rooms -- one that can hold up to 130 and another for about 85." Hey, it's nice that this turned out to be a happy story!
Mummers Need Bigger Place to Strut [The Insider]
NE Philly Mummers Selling Headquarters [Brownstoner] GMAP
Kimmel to Enter Cubist Phase
Well lookie what we have here: A rendering for an animated video cube on one corner of the Kimmel Center. The Inquirer reports that yesterday the Zoning Board of Adjustment gave the Kimmel the go-ahead to erect the cube at Broad and Spruce. More details: "In addition to promoting Kimmel Center Presents events and those of the resident companies, the cube could be used to electronically convey live events going on within the Kimmel, such as Philadelphia Orchestra concerts, lawyer Matthew N. McClure of Ballard Spahr told zoning board members. The budget for the cube, whose fabricators have not yet been chosen, is expected to run between $200,000 and $400,000, depending on whether the Kimmel can land in-kind services in lieu of some expenses. It is expected to be operational by December or January, said PIFA executive director J. Edward Cambron." There's also another bit of very exciting news about what's coming to the Kimmel: A restaurant c/o Wolfgang Puck slated to open a year from now.
Kimmel Center to Liven Up its Street Look [Inquirer]
Kimmel Animated Video Cube is OKd, and Chef Puck is Coming [Inquirer]
Rendering courtesy of Universal Services Associates via Philly.com.
Thursday Links
Park Service to Pay $3.2 Million in Land Swap for Museum [Inquirer]
21 Nominated to Philadelphia Property Tax Appeals Board [Inquirer]
NJ Transit Seeks to Add WiFi to Rail Lines, Train Stations [Inquirer]
Mastery Charter Schools' Big Test in Philadelphia [Inquirer]
U.S.: S. Philly High Didn't Protect Asian Students From Harassment [Daily News]
Asian Students, Advocates Ready for Another Year at S. Philly High [The Clog]
Hotel Firm Enters the Philadelphia Market [PhillyInc]
Old City a Tech Hotbed [The Philly Post]
Photo by Elio-oilE
Vid: Flipping Out Over Philly, Back in the Day
Via Field Notes, which has the following to say: "This is classic footage of the 1947 Better Philadelphia Exhibition and its famous flipping model designed by Louis Kahn, Edmund Bacon, and Oskar Stonorov. The narration on this newsreel is sadly lost, so we may never know what’s going on with the guy in the undershirt and sandals." We could actually make up some pretend dialogue right now that we imagine occurred among this genius group, but since this is a family publication and it would involve references to illicit substances, we shall refrain.
Tube Tuesday: Philadelphia Plans For “New” City [Field Notes]
Brownstoner Philly Seeks Interns
Does the thought of combing through public records excite you? Or how about the prospect of hyper-local reporting, and everlasting internet fame and glory? Are you a Type A college student who owns a digital camera? If you answered yes to the questions above, please shoot us an email: gabby@brownstoner.com.
House of the Day: 3100 Midvale Avenue
Listing touts: "Victorian charm with modern amenities." Hey, looks pretty decent to us. Facts and figures: 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 2,700 square feet. Is the asking price of $435,000 in line with area values?
3100 Midvale Avenue [New Trend] GMAP MLS
Condo of the Day: 1228-32 Arch Street #6A
The decor and kitchen reno in this condo are not to our taste, but it looks like it has a nice layout, great floors, and lovely big windows. Specs: 1,349 square feet, two bedrooms, and two baths. What would it be like to live across the street from the Convention Center? The pad is listed for $439,900.
1228-32 Arch Street #6A [Century 21] GMAP MLS
Flower Shop Changing Ownership
Fleur de Lys, the flower and accessories shop at 25th and Aspen, has closed due to the sad passing of the owner in July. New owners will be opening another flower shop there in the near future. GMAP
How Does Chestnut Hill Deal With Doggie-Doo Don'ts? Click Through for Visual Evidence....
Grilladelphia Becomes Crown Chicken
Grilladelphia, the by-many-accounts surprisingly decent cheesesteak joint at York and Aramingo, was apparently, much like Rock'N'Roll gas, no longer part of the plan for the corner Exxon. The place has been rebranded as Crown Chicken, which—correct us if we're wrong—sounds a bit like the Folex of fried chicken joints if it's not actually linked to the Crown Fried Chicken franchise. GMAP
Rowhouse Cornice Chronology, Philly Style
This later 19th century row in Fairmount has well preserved cornices made of pressed sheet metal. (Author)
The cornice is a defining feature of the rowhouse form, and can express the visual character of many different architectural styles. Echoing the formal entablature of Classical architecture, the cornice finishes the seam where the roof and façade of a rowhouse meet. In the Philadelphia vernacular, moldings, brackets and ornaments were wrought in wood, brick and metal, emulating the carved stone elements found in Classical designs. Cornices at once continue uniformity and distinguish individual buildings in a row, reinforcing the repeating patterns that make rowhouses so visually compelling. Even cornice lines that deviate in height and design indicate the constant reinvention that makes our assembled urban streetscapes fascinating.
Continue reading "Rowhouse Cornice Chronology, Philly Style"
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Welcome to Brownstoner Philadelphia, the leading source for real estate, preservation and neighborhood news in Philly. (We were recently named the Best Blog by Philly Magazine!) We're constantly scouring the city for new developments, restaurants and public works (bike lanes, murals, you name it), but we're only as strong as our tipsters. Shoot us a confidential email anytime to phillytips@brownstoner.com. You can also follow us on Twitter @bstonerphilly. And we encourage you to visit and use our Philly-branded URL shortener at ph.ly.