Category south

Is Washington Avenue West the key to South Philadelphia’s growth?

One of the new businesses along Wash Ave West | Kermit’s

 
In short, yes.

There has been significant residential growth, both north/south of Wash Ave West, over the last 10 years. So much so that the buyer demand to live in Graduate Hospital has literally spilled over into the northern part of Point Breeze. Which in turn, seems to slowly be heading west toward Grays Ferry.

That is a story for a different day, and one that I have blogged about before; so feel free to check out some past posts (here and here) before moving forward with this one.

If you read regularly, you know that I like to break things down to keep it simple. So, here’s how I would look at all of this:

1. The Missing Link: That’s what I classify Wash Ave West as, the commercial presence needed to properly join NoWa (North of Washington Ave, aka Graduate Hospital) and SoWa (South of Washington Ave, aka Point Breeze and Grays Ferry). When Graduate Hospital really started to come into its own as a neighborhood reborn, what happened? South Street West took off. So much so, that South Street West has the same, if not more, energy as South Street East. It has literally connected Rittenhouse Square & Fitler Square with Graduate Hospital; forming one cohesive, consistent part of Philadelphia.

2. Spruce It Up: Easier said than done, but as this article states, plans are already being discussed. The dilemma for an area like Wash Ave West is nothing new for historic commercial corridors in Philadelphia; long-time residents and business owners are typically resistant to change. And for good reason, it’s their livelihood. Who would want that taken from them; answer … nobody. But resisting change, just because, is not a good strategy. There are lots of new businesses moving in, whether long-timers like it or not, and those businesses mostly cater to the area’s new residents. In order for this corridor to grow and move in the right direction, the boulevard needs to be cleaned up (i.e. trash, sidewalks, street configuration, etc.) so that both businesses and patrons can thrive with it. If done right, it can help both long-timers and newbies alike; slippery, but doable.

3. Embrace The Culture: In order to make Wash Ave West new, some of the “old” needs to be recognized. One idea in this article is to turn the area into a Design District. Keep all of the mom-and-pop home improvement shops, and fill in the gaps with new commercial and residential. With the changes that have already taken place both in NoWa and in SoWa, there is too much commercial as it stands today; which means a mixed-use approach should do the trick. Think large residential anchor projects, surrounded by the existing businesses and smaller/new businesses.

Anyway, that’s my take.

When faced with a situation like this, I don’t think the goal should be to just go in and change everything. On the flip side, not doing anything and resisting the changing demographic won’t help either.

No matter how this all plays out, you can be rest assured that Wash Ave West will look different in the years to come.

Rethinking Philadelphia’s “Avenue of the Arts”

Avenue of the Arts | Center City, Philadelphia

 
For younger generations, Philadelphia is a happening place to be.

There are world-class educational institutions, neighborhoods full of creative class-mates and/or entrepreneurs, and affordable lifestyle options. Not only does Philadelphia offer today’s millennials all of those desirable options to grow as responsible Philadelphians, but our city has culture, history, and charm (oh … and killer food).

Everything the younger generation wants, right? I would say so.

So what is Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts?

AOTA was created back in 1990 by Paul Levy and the Center City District (or as it was more commonly referred to back then, Central Philadelphia Development Corporation). It was an opportunity to reinvent South Broad St as an entertainment district for the arts, and also to bring local suburbanites (as well as tourists) to Philadelphia for an evening of entertainment, dinner, and drinks.

Pretty ingenious at a time when old, industrial cities had consistently rough images; including our neighbors in New York, DC, and Boston.

It was then Mayor Ed Rendell who ran with CCD’s idea and secured both public/private funding for multiple projects spanning from City Hall to Spruce St. Also, a streetscape plan took shape which helped clean up the avenue, making it cleaner and brighter (and more walkable). Next, the arrival of the Kimmel Center as well as upscale, residential development. AOTA was on fire, and is still doing very well today (thanks to visionaries like Carl Dranoff).

“So Tim, why rethink what is already working? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it; right?”

Wrong.

Although AOTA sparked a renewed interest in urban living, that particular model may already be a bit outdated. At the time, it was based on the arts movement in NYC, but technology changes things fast these days.

Why do I feel it is a bit outdated, you ask?

Because younger generations today are more spread throughout the city, in neighborhoods like Fishtown, Passyunk Square, and even my own ‘hood (Manayunk/Roxborough). Now that more newly-minted Philadelphians have spread out around Philadelphia’s core urban districts (Center City & University City), the city is functioning more as a whole these days where each neighborhood/section has its own destinations and entertainment options.

That’s why this article was written, and it’s also why those reasons make sense. Why have just an “Avenue of the Arts,” when you can have a “City of Arts.”

Chime in on the comments section below, if the mood strikes you.

New development has really put Graduate Hospital on the map

 
If you’re familiar with Philadelphia and its many neighborhoods, then you are definitely familiar with Graduate Hospital; a tiny, well-defined neighborhood in South Philadelphia (or Southwest Center City, it just depends who you ask).

G-Ho, Grad Hosp, and South-of-South are all common names for this nabe, but the real success of Graduate Hospital was kickstarted by Naval Square almost 10 years ago. Toll Brothers purchased this abandoned Naval Academy, which also happened to be the country’s first, back in 1988 as a portfolio project. But it wasn’t until 2005 that the first new homes were built and sold in this gated community.

Fred Glick and I created some informative videos on Graduate not too long ago, so if you haven’t seen them before I’ve posted the links below for you:

Graduate Hospital – Part 1

Graduate Hospital – Part 2

Graduate Hospital – Part 3

Although Naval Square ignited G-Ho’s real estate success, it was the efforts of individual investors/developers who really moved it forward. Philadelphia’s older neighborhoods consist of rowhomes, twin homes, and the like. Which means there are many more homes/parcels on 1 city block than on 1 suburban block. Which also means that you need a lot of like-minded people on board if you want to turn things around. They banded together, and now South-of-South is also known as one of Philadelphia’s top family-friendly neighborhoods.

What was once known as an undesirable place to live due to the threat of a new expressway cutting across its core, has since become one of the most popular neighborhoods in the city.

This article is a great place to start if you are unfamiliar with G-Ho.