Over the summer, we reported on a new building at the corner of 6th St. & Washington Ave., a place that now contains Washington Avenue Dental Center on the first floor. At the time, we noticed a double-wide shell just to the south, at 1107 S. 6th St.

See the shell behind the new building?

About a year ago, the current owners purchased the property for $150K, and in September they went to zoning with the hopes of renovating it. According to the application, the developers intend to add a fourth story to the building, using the first floor for an eat-in and take-out restaurant, and the second through fourth floors for four apartments. Looking at the building now, this would certainly represent a dramatic improvement.

The building. Also, looks like the

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At 2305-07 Carpenter St. two new homes will soon replace an ugly old garage. Local developer MetroImpact purchased the property back in 2010 and tore down the garage. Due to a number of other projects moving forward in the neighborhood, Metro sold the property to TBM Group, a developer we mentioned last month regarding an upcoming project at 19th and Poplar Sts. The now demolished garage building, which covered the entire 32′x40′ lot, was clearly not offering the highest and best use for the property.

Not a handsome building

A recent look at the property

According to the zoning application from earlier this year, the developer will build two single family homes on this lot, which will include bay windows and roof decks. We give the developers credit for constructing new homes…

Living as we do, in a city with a largely older housing stock, we expose ourselves and our children to health risks due to lead exposure. Thanks to the ignorance of past generations (and some powerful lobbying from the lead industry), our everyday environment suffers from varying levels of lead contamination. Lead-based paint, commonly used for homes, toys, and furniture until the 1970′s, is probably the best known source of lead contamination. Less commonly discussed but still very important sources are soil, often contaminated by deteriorating paint or residue from lead-based gasoline (also used for over fifty years all over the world), and water, usually contaminated by older lead pipes or fixtures.

Chipping lead paint

Lead is dangerous to everyone, but its effects are most strongly felt by children under the age of six. Elevated lead levels have been shown to cause damage to childrens’…

With many old churches in Philly going the way of the dust, we were happy to hear that the former 26th Precinct Police Station in East Kensington is being preserved and renovated. It ain’t a church, but it is definitely both old and lovely. (Can we say lovely on this blog? Editor’s note: Yes.) It’s been vacant since the 1970s, when it was last used as a kitchen and bakery, so this has been a looong time coming.

Gorgeous building

From the middle of the intersection

Set at the intersection of Trenton Ave. and E. Dauphin St., the Victorian structure, built in 1896 and designed by architect John T. Windrim, will become home to a bank on the first floor, and nine, 700-800 sqft one-bedroom apartments on the second and third floors. Construction could begin…

It’s somehow been over two weeks since we’ve mentioned the Spring Arts/West Poplar/Spring Garden neighborhood (call it whatever you wanna call it, we give up), and that just seems wrong, considering how much development is going on over there these days. As you may recall, we wrote about some new homes under construction on the 1200 block of Mount Vernon St. back in September. Today, we direct your attention to the 1200 block of Wallace St., one block to the north. Currently, at 1212 Wallace St., Xiaolin Zhang is starting to rebuild a recently demoed house.

1212 Wallace St.: Now you see it…

Now you don't!

Demoed except for a few bricks left on the facade next door

Zhang purchased the property for $110K from long-time owner Alfred Miles,…

Arthur Faber LLC purchased 922-26 N 17th St., three vacant lots between Cambridge St. and Girard Ave., for $157.5K about a year ago. The property owners went to zoning for a variance to turn the three lots into one, and construct a six-family home at this site. As you can see, things are moving along, albeit a little more slowly than one might expect for a project that went to zoning a year ago.

Waiting for a facade

It's a big boy

Located in Francisville, just to the north of Ridge Ave., the project is surrounded by a mix of properties that captures the spirit of this changing neighborhood. Immediately to the north is a small, boarded up home that looks like it was once a pretty little house. Immediately to the west on Cambridge St. are…