I'm actually going to defend the Carvana. It's kind of perfect for the location, in that it's so freaking weird and completely absurd. It's between the 95 overpass and the El, and is next to a weirdly shaped lot with a billboard, so the fact that anything is getting built at all is a plus. It's highly doubtful that we were ever going to get good design at this location and maybe I'm just being strange, but I prefer this monstrosity to some boring box.

^ditto

I agree about Carvana. It's not that bad for the location. Not every development can be condos with a coffee bar, beer garden, restaurant, etc. Diversity of businesses and services is a good thing for neighborhoods.

Next use, a rock climbing wall?

Was in the city today (9/22/2018) and took lots of pictures:

The reconstruction of the Holocaust Memorial:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1892/4...a8716333_c.jpg

This is PULSE - the new art installation in Dilworth Park - the mist sprays each time a trolley passes under the park:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1922/3...8e61c05e_c.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1916/4...09589fc1_c.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1841/3...1be51b7a_c.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1896/4...f2ec423b_c.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1924/4...6f5faea2_c.jpg

Building construction in Chinatown:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1861/3...9b4c09b3_c.jpg

The Fashion District Philadelphia:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1946/4...bd107b05_c.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1887/4...865171da_c.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1876/4...5a3266d3_c.jpg

The recladding over 10th (and 9th) turned out OK:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1965/4...2befdba4_c.jpg

The midblock crosswalks on 10th (and 9th) have been raised to meet the curb:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1875/4...e39308b4_c.jpg

The Food Hall at the Bourse is open. The stalls are slowly opening up. They will all be open in time for the grand opening in November:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1940/4...a226af75_c.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1965/4...af17f9b9_c.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1897/4...c80729c6_c.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1965/4...75deaf37_c.jpg

Tacos from TaKorean - one of the stalls that is open:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1941/4...8c694f54_c.jpg

Penzeys Spices - they are at the 5th Street side with their own outside entrance:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1889/4...91a2e382_c.jpg

New construction at 3rd & Market - a falafel place is going in on the first floor:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1881/4...9376bd4d_c.jpg

I took a bunch more pics that are posted in their respective building threads.

Lincoln Square
 

Here are pics of Lincoln Square taken 9/22/2018:

Target looks like it will be on the second floor and run the length of the building:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1946/4...9bb1f3f4_c.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1885/4...4ca08fa0_c.jpg

The pedestrian walkway between Sprouts and the parking garage:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1950/4...025f3b8a_c.jpg

Sprouts has free parking on the first floor of the garage:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1961/4...0cfb2071_c.jpg

Chipotle going in on the Broad Street side:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1938/4...88cdf824_c.jpg

Sprouts entrance facing Broad Street:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1935/3...a4e52f88_c.jpg

Inside the store - it is about the size of the old Whole Foods behind the Barnes (the one that became a Target):
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1886/4...7f8cc061_c.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1878/4...6492fcf2_c.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1876/4...4c37ea3c_c.jpg

Nice photos. The Sprouts market is nice. Really not too expensive at all. Very good produce. The train shed gets a little lost in all that stuff hanging from the ceiling, but still a nice store.

The new falafel place at 3rd and Market is an outpost of Mamoun's which is a classic Greenwich Village place. Will be a nice addition to Center City. I am excited to visit the Bourse when more of the stalls are open.

Why is this building only two floors when everything around it is 4+? Looks totally out of place.

Thanks btw for all the photos.

Seems like a wasted opportunity on Market Street. It doesn’t really fit in at the current height. Perhaps there is a restriction in the rear of the building that’s not apparent from the front of the building?

Interesting history there. 300 and 302 Market were the infamous Shirt*/Suit Corner buildings destroyed by fire in 2014. At the time of the fire, 300 (the corner building) was 1-story and 302 was 4-story, with the upper stories vacant. But digging thru zoning files, I see that the corner building was originally 4 or 4-1/2 stories, but removed the upper floors sometime around 1940.

*originally Shirt Corner was a separate store on the NE corner, owned by the same family. Some time after Shirt corner had vacated that building it collapsed during demolition.

Fast forward to post-fire, 300 was sold and rebuilt as 4 stories with apartments on the upper floors. Gary Ginsburg of Shirt Corner retained ownership of 302 and plans show that 2-story building as the new Shirt Corner.

EDIT [Additional Reference]: Shirt Corner Will Rise From the Ashes of Suit Corner | NakedPhilly.com

This is a real opportunity lost. It could have been a great outdoor space. Design failure.

On Wednesday a goodly portion of that space was filled with pallets of pineapples and cantaloupes (and not in the form of a display, unlike those out front). I don't know whether they'll regularly be unloading trucks into that space or if this was a one-time usage for the initial stocking.

Who's idea was this? The constant scraping of mufflers should be a real joy to listen to.

Looks like the crossing signs have those strobe light thingies on them too. 18th St by Comcast has both strobe lights and audible alarms that seem to be activated by pedestrian motion detectors and are as annoying as hell.

This is a growing trend in designing mid-block pedestrian crossings (I'm a traffic engineer so I do this stuff for a living). By raising the pavement it eliminates the need for curb ramps at the sidewalk. It also helps to slow down traffic. Someone would only scrape the underside of their car if they are speeding. A similar thing is being done on Broad south of City Hall where the entire intersection is being raised up.

Not necessarily development related... but out of curiosity, does anyone know who won the airport landscape design contest?

Oh don't get me wrong, I get their function, I just don't like them. Aside from the aforementioned strobes and alerts and the more than occasional scraping of tailpipes and rattling of body panels, they seem to encourage the squealing of brakes upon their approach as well as the gunning of engines. All in all I find their benefit quite dubious.

I mean it's great shirt corner will be back, they're certainly an odd philly institution. But even if they only need two floors for their business, have they heard about condos or apartments? It's the craziest waste of space to not go taller here in such a desirable area. Corner properties are worth more, but if they built up two more floors the extra value it would bring them probably would have enabled them to sell the 302 lot and retain 300 and actually put shirt corner on a... corner.

Just stupid.

I can't say you're wrong, but considering that the original building at 302 had it's upper floors sealed off and vacant for decades, I presume they have zero interest in or even a strong aversion to being residential landlords. That's their prerogative. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I’m surprised there isn’t a height minimum on Market Street. I’d say minimum 4 stories from Front to 5th and minimum 10 stories from 6th to City Hall. Two stories is ridiculous.