Almost two months ago, we told you that St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church, located at 3rd & Reed, would soon be demolished. The church closed down a few months ago, and the lovely building which dates back over 120 years is indeed in the process of being torn down.

In the past

Last week

As you may recall, twelve town homes will soon rise in this location, replacing a House of God with houses of granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. We can certainly understand the market dynamics that lead to gorgeous buildings like this being torn down instead of being creatively reused by developers, but that doesn’t make the destruction of this building an easier pill to swallow.

Getting closer. It was (predictably) very dusty, despite the efforts of the demo crew

…

We were in Pennsport the other day on our way to get the old jalopy inspected and happened upon Karen Donnelly Park, a public green space we never knew existed. According to the South Philly Review, this little patch of public space at 230 Dickinson St. was originally established as a quiet resting place for area residents back in 1978. For years, it contained a few tables and chairs and several trees, but upkeep fell off and the area was leveled by the City in the 1990s.

In 2009

Around 2005, the City decided to sell the lot for redevelopment, but after a few years of pushback from neighbors the plan changed to refashion the space into a new and improved pocket park. The space, as you can see, has been totally rebuilt from the ground up with permanent tables…

Ahoy mateys! Land bouy, dead ahead!

A land bouy, of course, is both beacon and wind monitor. It tracks the current of the sky with a sail that produces a deep, haunting sound when moved by the wind. And it’s also the art concept proposed to serve as a gateway to Pier 53, and scheduled to be constructed as part of Phase II of the green infrastructure project Washington Avenue Green.

Two summers ago

A land bouy, coming soon

Located at Washington Avenue and Columbus Boulevard, Pier 53 once served as Philadelphia’s equivalent to Ellis Island. It was constructed in the mid-nineteenth century, according to Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DRWC) spokesperson Lizzie Woods.

Entry to the park on Columbus Blvd., which is currently not very clearly marked

Phase II of the…

As a Comcast customer, you can handle most account matters online or over the phone.  But if you ever need to return an old cable box, make payment in person, or just give them a piece of your mind with the help of dramatic facial expressions, you need to visit a Comcast Service Center.  If you live in Pennsport, chances are it’s the one at 1351 S. Columbus Blvd. Flanked by a scary lot of unkempt woods on one side and a scary lot of unkempt grass on the other, this hardly looks like the site of a major industrial operation.  But that it was according to the image below from G.W. Bromley’s 1895 Philadelphia Atlas.

The Delaware Sugar Refinery in 1895

According to engineer George Newhall, whose court testimony is recorded in the 1912 volume, United States of America, Petitioner, Against the American Sugar Refining…

A little less than a year ago, we first told you about plans for the construction of seven new homes at 114-22 Ellsworth St., a vacant lot in Pennsport. Since then, foundations have been poured, framing has taken place, interior work has been done, and the homes look like they’re coming down the home stretch.

In the past

Current view

From further back

From what we can tell, the homes are not listed on the market as of yet, but we’re expecting pricing in the high $400K range. With two dozen additional new homes coming to the neighborhood in the year to come, we’d have to think that these developers are pleased with their timing, getting a little separation from the competition.

Rendering of the homes from Harman Deutsch

Pretty soon, it seems, there won’t be any vacant land left in Pennsport.

As we sit here on Good Friday, we have news about another church that’s slated to be demolished in order to feed the ever-hungry development monster. The newest House of God on the outs is St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church, according to Hidden City. The church, located on the northwest corner of 3rd & Reed, was built before 1895, and closed last month.

The church

Hidden City tells us that a salvage crew was on the site last month, preserving pews and the like for reuse in another church or perhaps a yet unopened gastropub. In the coming months, the building will be demolished, and Passyunk Post shares that twelve new homes will rise in its place. This will mark the third large new townhome development to come to light in this neighborhood this month. You…