Almost a year ago, we told you about an ambitious project to transform an old Kensington warehouse that had most recently been home to a lamp design company. Consisting of two buildings at Front & Oxford, plans for the project involved a mix of residential, office, and retail uses with a parking component as well.

In the past

An old eastern view

When we initially posted about this project, several commenters expressed concern that the project would never get off the ground, perhaps due to financial constraints or political concerns. We can’t say we blame them- large adaptive reuse projects like this are notoriously hard to pull off, especially in an area that most lenders would probably contend has not yet really arrived.

But today we bring good news. As some other commenters assured the…

The West Powelton, Mantua, and Saunders Park social services organization People’s Emergency Center (PEC) has big plans for the 4200-block of Powelton Avenue. They’re working with community groups to convert 4226-4234 Powelton Ave., an empty lot that was formerly a set of ramshackle buildings, into a seven-unit supportive housing building, which may include a playground and office space.

In the past

Specifically, PEC hopes to house homeless individuals and families that suffer from drug or alcohol abuse, or have a physical or mental disabilities at this development, says Stephanie Wall, PEC’s project manager for this endeavor. The Center is very concerned about community opinion, which is why they’re working with DIGSAU Architecture to develop a building that “fits in with the fabric of the neighborhood,” says Wall. They also decided to table a recent ZBA hearing to receive more input from…

Parklets. A cute term? Perhaps. A cute strip of land? Okay. A cute idea? Sure. University City’s second temporary street park this summer will be installed next month at 261 S. 44th St. in front of Honest Tom’s Taco Shop and the Lil Pop Shop, around the corner from Local 44.

Future parklet

“Our Parklets were partly inspired by those in San Francisco as a way to reclaim some asphalt and turn it into an area of respite,” said University City District capital projects manager Nate Hommel.

The space will occupy no more than two parking spaces on 44th Street, and be installed after the resurfacing of 44th Street, likely the week of August 13. Last year, Philadelphia’s first parklet remained at 43rd and Baltimore until late November, and this year UCD is exploring options to keep…

Back in January, we updated you on the progress of the renovations at Sister Cities Park, what was previously a somewhat underwhelming green space directly to the east of Logan Square. As we originally told you over a year ago, this renovation included design work from DIGSAU architects, Pennoni Associates and landscape architect Bryan Hanes. In essentially starting from scratch, this team came up with a park that’s extremely kid-friendly, and as a result should see much greater use from now on.

The park reopened a couple of months ago, and word has been slowly tricking out about this great new public space. When we dropped by the other day, there were definitely some people there, but the lack of a crowd on such a hot day indicated that plenty of folks still don’t know about this spot just yet. Check out these photos, and…

On the other side of the tracks from Fishtown, 100-110 W Oxford St. sits vacant. Most recently occupied by Pieri Creations, a lamp design company, this site was home to the Quaker City Dye Works way back when. In later years, the buildings contained different companies, with a wool mill, a hosiery mill, a glue manufacturer, and others. All the buildings at this site have been vacant for a few years.

From Front St

Since last May, Sister Cities Park, the easternmost patch of green space that makes up Logan Square, has been under construction. As we told you about back then, this renovation project is part of Mayor Nutter’s Green 2015 initiative as well as a part of a plan to spruce up the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

Site plan

With a design from DIGSAU architects, Pennoni Engineers and landscape architect Bryan Hanes, this re-imagined, kid-friendly park will include a pavilion with a cafe and community space, new greenery, a boat pond, new lighting, and a new fountain that pays tribute to Philadelphia’s ten sister cities.

Below are some renderings as well as photos of the progress to date. Is it us, or do the renderings for this new space have a similar feel to…