In January, we wondered about vacant commercial space in the White Building at 12th and Sansom Sts., and speculated about businesses that would replace the shuttered T-Bar and Dada Rug and Art Gallery. Last month, two new businesses filled that void.

Empty corner

JAR BAR has replaced the rug and art gallery, and it’s your one stop-shop for all things “juicy and raw” (hence JAR, get it?).  We knew awhile back that Jennifer VanHeeswyk Richmond and Joel Odhner would be bringing their Catalyst Cleanse to Midtown Village, and with their passion for rich, raw foods, the duo’s concept has evolved into a whole menu that excludes gluten, dairy, and high-fructose corn syrup.

Interior shot of JAR BAR

So what is raw food exactly? This category is comprised of healthy, nutrient rich foods that are never cooked over 115

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A reader checked in with us, asking if we had the lowdown about 1214 Chestnut St., a vacant commercial space that’s just two doors down from the planned Hotel Indigo. You may (or may not) recall that last February, we told you about a planned restaurant for this location, designed by Atrium Design. WSWCA was non-opposed to this project, and the ZBA approved it in 2009.

The building

Faded zoning notice

Over the past three years, the retail space that most recently housed a clothing shop has remained vacant. Even though the project was approved, sources tell us it’s currently on hold.

Should we hear anything new about this space, we’ll be sure to pass it along. Hopefully, the new hotel will spur development on this stretch…

According to the Philadelphia Business Journal, two Center City buildings will be repurposed into a 150 room Hotel Indigo. The Bailey building at 1218 Chestnut St. and the Biddle building at 1217 Sansom St. combine for about 140K interior sqft that will soon be used for a higher purpose than middling downtown office space. No idea what this will mean for the Wine and Spirits Super Store in the Bailey Building.

Biddle Building

From a distance

Bailey Building

From a distance

Hopefully, this new development will spur additional growth in this area, which has clearly transformed in the past decade but has seen Chestnut Street continue to lag in terms of development. Clearly, the efforts of…