Waaay back in November of 2011, we broke the news that the former home of Thomas Colace Co. at 19 E. Oregon Ave., was going to become an indoor adult amusement spot with bowling, arcade games, batting cages, and of course booze. A few commenters indicated that this was the brainchild of the folks behind North Bowl in Northern Liberties, but we could not get any confirmation at that time. And it’s been radio silence ever since.

The building

Now, according to Passyunk Post, this project is officially a go. Looking at the L&I Map, it appears that owner Oron Daskal has been slowly winding his way through the process, getting some initial permits back in 2011 and zoning last summer. According to Michael Klein, the new spot will be larger…

As you’re probably well aware, many Queen Village residents have the pleasure of basically living next door to I-95. As such, Queen Village Neighbors Association (QVNA) was granted the right to create a community parking lot several years ago under the highway at Front and Christian Streets, according to Jeff Hornstein, QVNA president. QVNA leases the land at low cost from the Interstate Land Management Corporation (ILMC), the quasi-government agency that oversees the 100-foot right-of-way on either side and underneath I-95. QVNA charges 95 people $95 a month to park there. In turn, they use the revenue generated to run their organization and to provide grants for the community through a competitive grant process. Last year, the Nebinger and Meredith Schools both received grants.

Queen Village parking lot

Now, new plans are in the works for QVNA to rent a second lot,…

A reader checked in recently, wondering about the status of Del’s II, a shuttered sandwich shop at Front & Tasker. We swung by there recently, and the space appears quiet indeed.

Old shop

Love the signage

The space was purchased by Michael Delbuono (hence the name Del’s, we assume) back in 1981, shortly after the completion of I-95 across the street. From the looks of the space, the shop had been operating for about that long, serving breakfast foods and sandwiches to the masses. And from the looks of the exterior, the space hasn’t really been spruced up for decades. Peeking in the windows, the place looks well worn, but seems like it could reopen at a moment’s notice.

Highway across the street

Looking up Front St.

…

Along Front Street between Spring Garden Street and Girard Avenue, there’s plenty of open space, and many vacant sites and overgrown lots. Considering the look of the surrounding neighborhoods, this area sticks out like a sore thumb.

Slowly, the parcels around Front Street are being developed. At Front & Brown, the Penn Treaty Village PENNTHOUSES were completed a few months ago. And a block away, members of the Northern Liberties Neighborhood Association Zoning Committee approved plans for the transformation of 900 Front St. into town homes, replacing nearly 11K sqft of vacant land that’s right next to I-95.

The lot

The project, designed by architect Steve Maffei of Old City’s Abitare Design Studio, calls 11 single-family homes with parking. Even though the structures will have front-end garages “we needed to get some development done over there,” said Larry Freedman, NLNA zoning chair.…

There was a time when Philadelphia was home to hundreds of classic cinema houses and movie theatres.  Shawn Evans of The Philly History Blog tells that during the silent film boom of the 1920s, Philly was prime location for the transporting new experience of movie watching.  Evans tells that 275 movie theatres were opened leading up to 1932.  But as the Great Depression coincided with the end of the silent era, these grand and opulent theatres became an endangered species. Today, mainstream theatre-going largely occurs in hulking multiplexes with sticky floors and Colin Farrell posters.  To wit, the UA Riverview Plaza Stadium 17 stands at 1400 Columbus Blvd. as a testament to just how dramatically the movie-going experience has changed.

Riverview in 2012

It is perhaps appropriate that the Riverview invokes a sense of cinema’s industrialization.  Indeed, for more than a century before its construction, the site on which it currently…

Eleven new single family homes are on the way in Fishtown, as members of the Fishtown Neighbors Association voted July 30th to approve a project for 1100 Hewson St.

The lot

Hewson St

Developers first presented a 12-home 11-garage project, designed by KJO Architecture, in June. After neighbors raised concerns about density, the developers reduced the number of units to 11 roughly 2,100 sqft homes with six fronting Berks Street and 5 fronting Hewson Street. The Hewson Street homes feature