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Wed
Jun 13
2012

Amazing Vacant Building on South Broad Street

A reader checked in, asking about the vacant building at 311 S. Broad St., directly across the street from the Kimmel Center. We were reminded that we wondered about that very building some ten years ago, around the time the Kimmel Center opened, thinking it would be a slam-dunk location for a fancy bar/restaurant. Alas, the building is being used now for pretty much the same purpose as it was back then- a pigeon coop.

Awesome building

All 19,500 sqft of 311 S. Broad St. were purchased by Assorted Music Partnership, back in 1997, for $400K. The (former) Philadelphia International Records office was located in the building next door, until it caught fire last year. Both Assorted Music Partnership and Philadelphia International Records, in case you didn’t already assume, are owned by gated-mansion loving, Philadelphia soul pioneering, Kenny Gamble. And may we add, the still-boarded up windows at PIR fit in perfectly when examined alongside a property that’s been vacant for fifteen years.

On the other side

To the south, a vacant lot owned by University of the Arts. This site was home to an art installation last year, and may be the site of a new student housing building in the years to come. UArts demolished a really attractive building that once stood here at some point in the 1990s. Quite a shame, really.

In the distant past

According to a post by Michael Klein from over a year ago, Gamble had rejected developers interested in this property for years, until finally attempting early last year to find a chain tenant for this building. The continued vacancy shows just how well that effort went. And we can only assume that this was a halfhearted effort at best, as a few larger chains have indeed found new space to lease in the immediate area in the last year.

Sure, Mr. Gamble has renovated tons of blighted buildings over the years, to his credit. But this is another example of Gamble sitting on a valuable piece of real estate for many years, allowing it to deteriorate without any apparent plan for its redevelopment. Kind of makes you optimistic for the future of the Royal Theater, eh?

10
COMMENTS
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Posted in Washington Square West | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments
  • guest

    He could sell it and afford to pay the rent/fees that the school district isn’t charging him to opperate charter schools in their buildings…

  • Anonymous

    Would only disagree in the sense that he could, without question, already afford it, but just doesn’t wanna pay. You know, because of an unwritten agreement with the former superintendant that everyone claims doesn’t exist except for Universal representatives.

  • Vieux Pays

    The University of the Arts actually began excavation for a student housing project on that vacant lot in the late 1990′s but they quickly ran out of money and the lot was covered up.  No reason for them to continue to hang on to this.

  • thegreengrass

    When Kenny Gamble passes away, do we finally get to do something with all the places he’s sitting on and doing nothing with?

  • Ajs

    I believe the project was shut down due to nimbyism

  • http://philaphilia.blogspot.com/ GroJLart

    Gamble is the worst slumlord in the city now that Rappaport’s dead. 

  • barryg

    There was a pink L&I violation notice up on that building a couple months ago, for violating the windows and doors ordinance. It came down after a week or so and nothing has changed…  everyone should report the building to 311 to add some pressure.

    Now that he closed the Sound of Philadelphia museum next door, he has two properties on the Avenue of Arts doing nothing and junking up the street. It’s pathetic.

  • MP

    Is there a way to check if the property has been accruing fines? I would it if it went public that Kenny “I care about the community” Gamble was shown to be sitting on buildings that had thousands of dollars of L&I blight fines stacking up on them. It’s bad enough he’s squatting on land in Point Breeze while building a gated mansion for himself, but that he can let buildings like this rot on the Avenue of the Arts is just infuriating. 

  • EricClayWarner

    Every time I see the lot and vacant building I envision a 25 – 35 story mixed use residential rental building. With its proximity to the Broad St. line and its destination along the Avenue of the Arts. How awesome of a view would it be to have the Kimmel Center within your sightline. 

  • Steve

    I sadly had the same thought today.  I am glad I am not the only one.

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