A reader gave us the heads up that 1507 Dickinson St. was currently under construction. This home, located in the Newbold neighborhood, apparently caught fire since Google Maps took its street view photos.

In the past

Photo from Trend

The property was purchased by S&S Remodeling Inc back in April for $65K, and the developers are making progress. We’re not thrilled with the stucco job on the facade, but we suppose it’s possible that the bricks were so damaged by the fire that it would have been prohibitive to restore them. Fortunately, it looks like the cornice is being mostly preserved.

Work in progress

Whether we’re thrilled with the look of this particular rehab, this developer seems fairly legit. They’re working on a new construction project in Northern Liberties that would…

Circles Contemporary Asian Cuisine, a takeout restaurant at the corner of Hicks and Tasker Sts. in the Newbold section of Point Breeze, has been doing steady business for the past three years, doling out delicious food at reasonable prices.

Despite their no-frills interior, legend of Circles tasty offerings has spread to the point that their delivery area stretches from South Philly to Fishtown. With no seating however, their business has been limited to take-out and delivery. Delicious food? Business limitation? Easy solution. Enter Circles Lounge, the tw0 month old sit-down spot just across Hicks St. from the existing Circles.

Lucky neighbors and visitors can now enjoy Circles goodness outside of their dining room (or couch) in a surprisingly fancy space with seating for about thirty. Hardwood floors, granite countertops on the bar, pendant lighting, it almost feels like a real estate listing in there. And holy smokes,…

“With the help of the Newbold Neighbors Association, our relationship with coffee will be getting a bit stronger. Based in Philadelphia, the Newbold Neighbors Association just launched its very own SeeClickFix contest hoping to stir the pot and wake up the local government. Lasting until May 30th, residents can espresso their concerns through several means from the Newbold widget and SeeClickFix main site to the SeeClickFixmobile site and smartphone apps . . . . With coffee being offered as the prize, Newbold residents should grab their mugs and start grinding away in their neighborhood. When May ends, two $25 Ultimo Coffee gift cards will be awarded: one for the person with the most submissions, and the other for someone randomly selected who submits four or more issues.” —-SeeClickFix.com

Postgreen’s most aggressive and extensive project yet, reNewbold (Postgreen is partnering with LPMG on this), is making its home in Point Breeze (or Newbold, depending on which side of 18th street you are on or what neighborhood committee you’ve joined). On the docket for the 16th and Moore corner are 16 row homes, two condos and one retail space, all targeted to be LEED Platinum standard with a green roof and parking. This corner used to be home to an abandoned school building, which was torn down leaving just a vacant lot (the worst thing a neighborhood could have), but the new retail space coming will most likely be the core hub of the area and pave the way for future, less venturous developers looking to get involved in the area (similar to what Toll Brothers did for Graduate Hospital). We can already see it now: Newbold…