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Developments
Passyunk Square
06/18/13 10:30am

Decrepit 13th Street building finally to be remodeled

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The Passyunk Square Civic Association’s zoning committee approved a proposal last week to turn the crumbling old garage at 1128 S. 13th St. into four apartments and a ground-floor professional office.

From Google Streetview in 2009, but it looks basically the same today

From Google Streetview in 2009, but it looks basically the same today

The owner, Michael Murray, plans to add a third story and a roof deck with a pilot house, plus four parking spots in the garage using the existing curb cut. Multi-family residencies, as well as business and professional uses for tenant buildings, are prohibited in this zoning district. That’s why Murray and Vincent Mancini, owner of the project’s architectural firm, Landmark Architectural Design, were compelled to come before the committee.

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Education
Passyunk Square
06/18/13 10:30am

South Philly School ends up in the N.Y. Times for all the wrong reasons

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The news of the funding crisis at Philly’s school district, which recently sent layoff notices to nearly 3,900 school employees, has gone national, with a report in the New York Times yesterday that could scare young parents away from wanting to live in South Philly.

The case in point the Times uses to illustrate this disgrace is Andrew Jackson elementary.

That’s the plucky little public school at 12th and Federal that has made great progress in recent years thanks to a dedicated troupe of neighborhood activists (like the Passyunk Square Civic’s education committee) and what several parents have told us is a principal who’s doing a bang-up job. But the report makes the situation sound grim:

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Restaurants
Bella Vista
06/18/13 9:00am

A new restaurant coming to Shank’s original location on 10th?

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Thanks to a tipster who let us know about a sign in the window at the former Carluccio’s at 932 S 10th St., which was the original location of South Philly staple Shanks.

How about a nighttime shot?

How about a nighttime shot?

The sign only says “Help wanted. Good servers, delivery. Call…” That obviously suggests food.

Scuttlebutt around the neighborhood is (more…)

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News you can use
Passyunk Square
06/17/13 12:00pm

What’s up with the empy lot across from Pat’s and Geno’s?

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Ever wonder why that empty lot across from Pat’s and Geno’s has been vacant for all these years? There is more to it than you’d imagine, says City Paper’s Naked City blog, which highlighted the lot last week as its Philaphilia Empty Lot of the Week.

The story begins in 1864 when the First Presbyterian Church and its school opened there. Fast forward all the way through a renaming to St. John Nepomucene Church in 1907 and then to the mid-80s, when the church was abandoned. Enter South Philly native Joseph Gatta Jr. comes in.

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Photos
East Passyunk Crossing
06/17/13 10:30am

Spotted: Inflation has gotten to Lucy from the Peanuts

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This episode of Spotted, an occasional feature, shows the enduring march of inflation.

On the 1600 block of Broad Street, a sign in the window of one of those huge houses seems to indicate that psychiatric help has gotten more expensive.

Lucy spotted (2)

Wanna see your photos on this site? Join the Passyunk Post flickr pool here. While you’re at it, follow Passyunk Post on Twitter here and Facebook here.

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Featured
Bella Vista
06/17/13 9:00am

First Pics: Lil’ Pop Shop opens second location just off on South Street

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While ice cream and water ice are just dandy, sometimes you just need to change it up, especially on those sticky South Philly summer days. How about frozen popsicles handmade with fresh, natural, locally-sourced ingredients in quirky and creative flavor combos?

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Lucky for us, the nationally recognized Lil’ Pop Shop has opened a second location at 534 S. 4th St., just off South. The other location is in West Philly, aka far away.

There are pops here for foodie-types and for food ‘fraidy cats wary of “weird” stuff. Here’s what was in the case one day last week: coconut hibiscus, Vietnamese iced coffee, lime mint, creamy mint chocolate chunk, chocolate w/salted caramel brownie, goat cheese w/cherries, lemon blueberry buttermilk.

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Events
06/14/13 12:00pm

To-Do List: Pork, plants, hanging out with Dad – or say screw it and go see boy bands

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hidden city we the weeds

Check out the ruins of Fort Mifflin near the airport. Pic from Hidden City

Saturday

Feel like slumming it, deliciously? Go to John’s Roast Pork, 14 E. Snyder Ave. Been a while since you been there, right? Get there before 3:30 when they turn off the grill. Then head to Bonnie’s Capistrano on 13th near Dickinson. Yeah, it’s a dive, and it’s not as weird as you think.

At 1908 E. Passyunk, you could head to Pollyodd, where they’ll be serving snow cones made with the shop’s homemade lemoncello from 5 to 7 p.m. The store is open from 1 to 9.

Also Saturday, you could pretend you’re in 1990 and go to the Wells Fargo Center to see New Kids on the Block and Boyz II Men. Tickets – they’re still available OMG! – on Stubhub were going for as low as $7 plus fees yesterday. This is not a recommendation, but hey, if we were in the right mood and drunk enough…

Sunday

Buy your Dad a beer at The Industry, Reed and Moyamensing (or at least call him).

Or, if he’s a history buff or a gardener, (more…)

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Real Estate
Passyunk Square
06/14/13 10:30am

SoPhilly Spotlight: Light Well edition

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For this week’s SoPhilly Spotlight, we get an “architect-designed” rowhouse at 1302 S. 10th St. On sale for $524,900, this stunner has 3 bedrooms and 3.5 baths in more than 1,800 square feet.

But what sets this one apart is a 35-foot high light well – essentially a skylight on the third-floor roof that funnels light all the way down to the ground floor.

Neat, huh? That unfinished plaster/brick look is repeated all the way up

Neat, huh? That unfinished plaster/brick look is repeated all the way up

1302 10th

From the listing, which is by Realty Mark Cityscape:

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Featured
East Passyunk Crossing
06/14/13 9:00am

First Pics: Cloth, a natural baby store, opens at 1605 E. Passyunk Ave.

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Cloth, the natural-products baby store we were the first to tell you about in April, opened last weekend at 1605 E. Passyunk Ave.

cloth 001

Cloth, in a renovated 1605 E. Passyunk Ave. that had been South Philly Stained Glass, which moved down the block

Neighborhood residents and husband and wife Shai and Angela Halperin had a son in 2010 and decided to capitalize on all the other cloth-diapered babies who were sprouting up around here. And all of their merchandise hews to the natural way of bringing up baby.

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