PHILADELPHIA | 1300 Fairmount | 185 FT | 14 FLOORS

[Jawnadelphia]

[GtownFriend]

Is this a tower crane base? (taken Aug 5, sorry I've been too busy to upload sooner)

1300Fairmont on Flickr

[iheartphilly]

Originally Posted by GtownFriend

Is this a tower crane base? (taken Aug 5, sorry I've been too busy to upload sooner)

1300Fairmont on Flickr

If you are talking about the huge chunk of steel as a tower base, not sure I’ve seen it set up that way especially so close to the ground. Good question nonetheless. Maybe someone with a more recent photo can shed light to your question or a crane expert on this forum.

[AJM]

That would be a base for a 40' starter section from a TG1900 tower that transitions to a Comansa tower section.

[PhilliesPhan]

I’ll post pics when I arrive at the office tomorrow, but a tower crane is starting to rise at the southern portion of the site, close to Ridge!

[cardeza]

I was just about to say the same thing. Looks like the tower is almost as high as the DL as of this morning.

[PhilliesPhan]

Taken on 9/16:

[PhilliesPhan]

The tower crane is now in place!

[iheartphilly]

^
Nice! Pivotal project-glad to see the crane is up and things are moving along. Any chance you can get a closer up shot of the work for the foundation?

[3rd&Brown]

i think the position of this project is a game changer.

now that NoLibs essentially goes to 7th or 8th Street, with the Post project on 9th Street and this between 13th and Broad, it's going a long way toward closing the psychological and physical gap between NoLibs and Broad Street.

add to that, isn't the grocery tenant here Aldi? It will create so much east west traffic that I'm thinking the perception of safety on those cross streets will improve drastically.

[cardeza]

Crane #2 is being assembled as we speak.

[iamrobk]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

i think the position of this project is a game changer.

now that NoLibs essentially goes to 7th or 8th Street, with the Post project on 9th Street and this between 13th and Broad, it's going a long way toward closing the psychological and physical gap between NoLibs and Broad Street.

add to that, isn't the grocery tenant here Aldi? It will create so much east west traffic that I'm thinking the perception of safety on those cross streets will improve drastically.

As someone who lives in Francisville, I completely agree. I think this will be a gamechanger for the entire area and will spur additional development closer to Broad Street.

[cardeza]

I hope someone gets a pic of the second crane

[hammersklavier]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

i think the position of this project is a game changer.

now that NoLibs essentially goes to 7th or 8th Street, with the Post project on 9th Street and this between 13th and Broad, it's going a long way toward closing the psychological and physical gap between NoLibs and Broad Street.

add to that, isn't the grocery tenant here Aldi? It will create so much east west traffic that I'm thinking the perception of safety on those cross streets will improve drastically.

I only partially agree -- recall that Fairmount Ave is the southern end of the Allen Hole, which isn't going to go anywhere anytime soon.

That said, this project, along with Mural Lofts down the street and the Owls' Nest up it, is making Broad increasingly attractive for development. As development pressure spills across Broad, it will trigger denser infill around the Allen Hole's fringes, which will almost certainly also apply redevelopment pressure to the suburban PHA housing lying at its core. But it will probably be some time yet until the Allen Hole disappears into the fabric and goes away completely.

[Larry King]

Originally Posted by hammersklavier

I only partially agree -- recall that Fairmount Ave is the southern end of the Allen Hole, which isn't going to go anywhere anytime soon.

That said, this project, along with Mural Lofts down the street and the Owls' Nest up it, is making Broad increasingly attractive for development. As development pressure spills across Broad, it will trigger denser infill around the Allen Hole's fringes, which will almost certainly also apply redevelopment pressure to the suburban PHA housing lying at its core. But it will probably be some time yet until the Allen Hole disappears into the fabric and goes away completely.

Between 12th and Broad it is privately owned and the deed restrictions run out in the next few years. So it's likely that many of those houses are redeveloped in the 2020's. A builder could buy two in a row, demo them and build 3 large rowhouses.

[Parkway]

Originally Posted by iamrobk

As someone who lives in Francisville, I completely agree. I think this will be a gamechanger for the entire area and will spur additional development closer to Broad Street.

Hey neighbor!

I'm particularly excited for the Aldi. Walking to and then shopping at the Temple Fresh Grocer are not ideal situations.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by Larry King

Between 12th and Broad it is privately owned and the deed restrictions run out in the next few years. So it's likely that many of those houses are redeveloped in the 2020's. A builder could buy two in a row, demo them and build 3 large rowhouses.

Exactly. They're privately owned on large lots (and maintained as is). Certainly "better" than the small ugly houses that have been disappearing all over Francisville and Fairmount.

Point being, even as is, they're better than people give them credit for (pride of ownership shows, the houses and streets are maintained and clean. But even more, they're large lots and under private ownership. So as soon as the deed restrictions are removed, say goodbye to single family homes and hello to dense infill.

What remains of the Richard Allen homes is literally 1 block. And to be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if they get redeveloped in some fashion in the coming years, as what's left of them was the only part of the original project that wasn't refreshed when this development happened 15-20 years ago.

[3rd&Brown]

Also, sounds crazy, but I could also see this becoming a sort of modern "mansion" district. The lots are BIG.

Given the location, I could see each of them coming down one by one to give way to big single family homes that hug the lot lines...thus, being more urban than what's there but still (sort of) in keeping with the original intent.

I know that's not the "maximal" use, but I think it would be cool to have an "in town" neighborhood with (large) single family homes. You see examples all over other cities (West University in Houston, Garden District in New Orleans, Kensington in Brooklyn). It would be cool to have our very own here.

[iheartphilly]

^
Yep, definitely. Philly has enough undeveloped land and/or abandoned/dilapidated homes or structures outside the core that could clear way for a more modern take on suburban style homes with a yard. Granted the yards won't be as big in general but if there's demand, some small builders should test this theory out.

[PhilliesPhan]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

Also, sounds crazy, but I could also see this becoming a sort of modern "mansion" district. The lots are BIG.

Given the location, I could see each of them coming down one by one to give way to big single family homes that hug the lot lines...thus, being more urban than what's there but still (sort of) in keeping with the original intent.

I know that's not the "maximal" use, but I think it would be cool to have an "in town" neighborhood with (large) single family homes. You see examples all over other cities (West University in Houston, Garden District in New Orleans, Kensington in Brooklyn). It would be cool to have our very own here.

Absolutely agree. I think we'll see something akin to what has happened in the area between 19th, 20th, Fairmount, and Brown: nearly all of the former one-story homes have been torn down, and huge new buildings with parking have replaced them. Given that the area around the Girard and Fairmount BSL stops could sustain a massive increase in density, I would hope that we'll see multifamily closer to Broad. I'm also hoping that such a situation would incentivize development on the east side of Broad, which is definitely trailing its western counterpart basically between Fairmount and Cecil B. Moore.

Also, hello Francisville neighbors!