Blocks We Love Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Solo Real Estate

Blocks We Love: 2300-2348 St. Albans Street

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Solo Team

In a city where most private gardens are tucked behind homes, few Philadelphians have the chance to display their green thumbs to the world. On the 2300 block of Saint Albans Street however, residents not only enjoy a lovely shared garden in front of their homes, but also use this unique space to teach their children about the natural world.

Located just southwest of Center City, the 2300 block of Saint Albans Street was closed to traffic decades ago, with the resulting space being used to create a shared garden. The mature trees, flowers, park benches and well-kept homes surrounding the garden only hint though at this street’s complex history. Developed in the mid-1870s to house workers for Philadelphia’s industrial-age population boom, this area quickly gained a reputation as a rough, working-class Irish community. In fact, for years the neighborhood was referred to as “The Devil’s Pocket” thanks to a local legend about a priest who said the area’s children were so unruly that they would “steal the watch out of the Devil’s pocket.”

Nowadays however Saint Albans Place, as the 2300 block is alternatively known, has a decidedly different feel. The mix of children on tricycles and parents casually flicking their iPad screens suggests that the block has attracted a whole new subset of Philadelphians young and old.

Little landscapers on the 2300 block of Saint Albans Street participate in garden upkeep (right), helping to grow plants like roses and shrubs (left).

Raising their children on organic vegetables and holding a deep passion for sustainability, many urban residents are eager to buy a home on the 2300 block of Saint Albans Street and share with their children the horticultural and natural lessons that gardening has to offer. Essentially, each unit on the block comes with a small garden plot directly in front of the home, allowing residents to plant what they wish; those who choose not to participate however have their plot tended by the community garden club. The overall effect is quite charming, with a wonderfully diverse patchwork of different designs throughout the garden all tended by local families and gardeners.

While communities like the 2300 block of Saint Albans always grow and change, it’s a testament to the wonderful livability of the neighborhood that residents continue to celebrate and maintain this street’s unique garden. Indeed, as our ecological-consciousness grows and more and more people choose to raise their children in cities, spaces like the Saint Albans Place Community Garden will become even more cherished and appreciated for the aesthetic and communal benefits they offer.

Blocks We Love: 743-772 South 4th Street

Posted on September 15, 2012 by Solo Team

Zebra stripes, purple polka dots and snake skin are not patterns one expects to see on the brick and stone streets of Philadelphia. However, on a part of South 4th Street known as Fabric Row, rolls of brightly colored cloths stand out like the flags of this historically independent-minded community.

Stretching down South 4^th Street from Bainbridge to Christian Streets, Fabric Row is an ever-changing commercial corridor that for over a century has hosted independent entrepreneurs and artisans. While the roots of the community go as far back as the founding of Philadelphia, Fabric Row as it is today was developed by Jewish textile merchants at the turn of the 20th century and was once home to countless bulk sellers, tailors and other related businesses.

The slice of Fabric Row between Fitzwater and Catharine Streets is an excellent example of this community’s evolving nature. Home to more traditional textile shops than any other block of Fabric Row, in recent years the street has seen the growth of quirky boutiques, a café and other independent stores. And while not every storefront is occupied, this block’s growing success is likely a sign that the area’s location – near enough to bustling South Street to attract visitors but far from that strip’s notoriously-rowdy crowds – will remain a key factor in Fabric Row’s continued development.

New independent businesses like Red Hook Coffee & Tea share South 4th Street with older fabric shops.

Recently though, a tragic event tested this community’s resolve: on April 6^th, 2013 a fire at the corner of South 4^thand Fitzwater cost a emergency responder his life and destroyed the generations-old Jack B. Fabrics store. While this community continues to mourn, it is also looking towards the future, hoping to rebuild and shape a space that truly represents the best of this historic and vibrant commercial corridor.

The future of the 743-772 block of South 4th Street, and indeed all of Fabric Row, looks bright. Queen Village has become an increasingly popular place for urban professionals to settle down and start families; these savvy urbanites are just the kind of consumers who actively support the local, independently-run businesses that for a century have found a home on Fabric Row. Strollers may have replaced pushcarts, but this block will continue to represent Philadelphia’s independent spirit.

Blocks We Love: 2200-2232 Green Street

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Solo Team

Located in the Fairmount neighborhood just blocks from Philadelphia’s collection of world-class museums, the ornate town houses and greenery of the 2200 block of Green Street make this community a work of art unto itself. Indeed, the street is a truly impressive example of the architectural and design legacy of Philadelphia’s industrial-era wealth.

On a block marked by imposingly designed houses, no home is as beautiful or quite frankly as enormous as the Bergdoll-Kemble Mansion (seen in the image on the left). Built in 1882, this 14,000 square foot Italianate mansion was constructed for the Bergdolls, a family of successful brewers. The house was also once home to Grover Cleveland Bergdoll, a notorious early 20th century socialite, playboy and criminal. Most recently, the mansion boasted one of Philadelphia’s highest-ever asking prices before being converted into apartments. Whatever the building’s fate though, the Bergdoll-Kemble Mansion’s size and ornate design will forever make it part of the character of this historic block.

2200 Green Collage — Daffodils poke through the block’s unique front lawns (left) as the buildings’ impressive details (right) draw the eyes as well.

Aside from its grand architecture, one of the most unique aspects of the 2200 block is its collection of front yards. Built on a hill sloping down to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, these homes are set on flat ground away from the street’s incline, and the resulting open space features rich expanses of grass and mature trees. These front gardens are a rare and beautiful quality in the otherwise narrow stone and concrete streetscape of Philadelphia.

In the end, this block typifies what Fairmount residents like best about their neighborhood – it has all the beauty, charm and history of urban life without quite the hustle and bustle of Center City. It’s surely a block not to be missed.

Blocks We Love: 2000-2100 Chancellor Street

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Solo Team

Because Philadelphia is a city where no two blocks are alike, we wanted to highlight some of the area’s most interesting and vibrant streets. With beautiful architecture, thriving commerce, rich histories and charming communities, these streets represent the best of what life in Philadelphia has to offer.

For over twenty years, Solo Real Estate has been happy to call the 2000 block of Chancellor Street home. While Chancellor Street, at only one car-width wide, may not be a bustling commercial thoroughfare like neighboring Walnut Street, we’ve greatly appreciated how this location has given us the ability to truly set down roots and become part of this special Rittenhouse Square community.

ChanEdit2 — The First Presbyterian Church and the Hockley House on the western end of the 2000 block of Chancellor Street

Of course, as real estate professionals we love the 2000 block’s gorgeous and varied architecture too. On the northeast end of the street, a pretty yellow home from the early part of the 19^th century recalls a time when the neighborhood was on the rural outskirts of Philadelphia. At the other end of the block sits a Victorian mansion called the Hockley House; designed by famed architect Frank Furness, it displays his version of Second Empire architecture and features floral motifs, dazzling brickwork and other celebrated elements of his signature style.

Add the modernist 32-story Wanamaker House tower and the postmodern touches on the block’s renovated carriage houses, and this narrow thoroughfare contains a truly impressive array of Philadelphia’s architectural heritage.

This variety of form has created a charmingly diverse group of residents too; Graduate students, empty nesters, young families and plenty of dogs and their owners all bring a vibrancy to this place. Indeed, it’s that seamless blend of grand and quaint, friendly hellos and quiet calm that makes us proud to call this block home.