We’ve brought a couple of projects to your attention from the people at  Passyunk Avenue Revitalization Corporation in the past. Most recently, we gave you heads up about a property across from the singing fountain that’s still in the process of being redone. Previously, we pointed out a couple of other PARC-driven rehab projects on Passyunk Avenue, restoring a couple of previously run down storefronts a little further south.

Today, we bring a different PARC project to your attention, this time away from the hustle and bustle of the Avenue. 1131-37 Wharton St. was, for years, the home of Citizens Alliance for Better Neighborhoods, the precursor to PARC. It was also a phenomenally ugly building. Take a look:

In the past

Muddled view of the stucco facade of the Titan St. side

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Photo courtesy of James Troutman

Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent J. Fumo (above) started out positively, founding and funding the Citizens’ Alliance for Better Neighborhoods. (We suppose he went wrong somewhere around the “137 counts of fraud, obstruction of justice, tax evasion and conspiracy.”) Paul Levy did his best to clean up Fumo’s mess and now is passing the newly named baton to Sam Sherman Jr.–owner of New Urban Ventures, board member of the Congress for New Urbanism, the man behind the Spring Arts Point townhomes in Spring Garden, and past president of the Building Industry Association.

We hope Sherman will do his best to make the Passyunk Avenue Revitalization Corporation (no loner the Citizens’ Alliance) debt-free and continue daily neighborhood cleanings and buy sell, renovate and rehab the empty and older properties plaguing Passyunk. Mr.…