Philly’s big new historic district | Real Estate Newsletter

Philadelphia’s newest historic district is the largest the city has created in decades.

A big chunk of the Washington Square West neighborhood will now be shielded from demolition, which supporters hope will preserve the history, identity, and fabric of the community. Property owners within the historic district also will need permission to make certain changes, which some owners aren’t happy about.

Support for historic districts in the city has seesawed in the years since the Philadelphia Historical Commission started creating them in the ‘80s. Get the details on the latest district, which an architectural historian called “a remarkably special area.”

Keep scrolling for that story and more in this week’s edition:

📮In this newsletter, we often talk about the buildings that make up our environment. That includes empty ones. You may have noticed that a bunch of vacant properties in the area used to be Rite Aid stores. My colleagues Erin McCarthy and Ariana Perez-Castells are reporting a story about local Rite Aids that have closed in recent years.

Do you have one (or more) in your neighborhood or town? Send photos and approximate addresses to emccarthy@inquirer.com and aperezcastells@inquirer.com. (By sending a photo, you consent to us potentially publishing it.)

And if you want to chat with Erin and Ariana for their story, include your contact info and a description of how you were affected by your closed store.

— Michaelle Bond

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Washington Square West’s big new historic district: a long time coming or never should have happened?

Depends who you talk to in the Center City neighborhood known as Wash West.

Fifteen years ago, folks tried to get the city to create a historic district there, but that effort fizzled. The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia revived its campaign in 2020, and the local civic association joined the cause the next year.

An architectural historian said the area “really represents what Philadelphia was historically.”

I started following this story last spring after the district’s nomination made its way to the Philadelphia Historical Commission. In May, the commission’s committee on historic designation recommended that the city create the district.

But the commission’s vote kept getting pushed back. First, there weren’t enough commissioners for a quorum. Then, the commission granted a request from property owners for a months-long delay.

One of the owners’ biggest issues was the large number of properties included in the district.

“It’s not like I’m against the designation of specific properties,” one property owner said. “But it should be done a la carte, not carte blanche. And that’s what is happening here.”

Keep reading to see just how big the district is, examples of properties included in it, and more arguments for and against creating it.

On walks through city neighborhoods, one of my favorite things to do is to admire residents’ plants. They spill from window boxes and hanging planters, shoot up from sidewalk pots, and cover front yards. They can be a rainbow of colors or the greenest of greens. Some are fake, but even those look good.

I have to assume fake plants aren’t allowed in the Fairmount Civic Association’s “Flowering Fronts of Fairmount” contest for the neighborhood’s amateur gardeners.

The judges are a lot more critical than I am on my strolls. They have experience judging gardens for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and look for “symmetry and variety.”

Marilyn Storck has owned her rowhouse in Fairmount for 20 years, but she decided “on a whim” to enter the contest for the first time this year. She won first place in the small garden category.

Peek at her winning entry and the other award-winning gardens.

Travel + Leisure named the top 10 best small towns in the country, and somewhere in the Philly region made the cut. The travel magazine also ranked this place as the best small town for arts and culture.

Question: Which place took home the honor?

A) Ardmore

B) Bristol

C) Collingswood

D) New Hope

This story has the answer.

Do you know the location this photo shows?

📮 If you think you do, email me back. You and your memories of visiting this spot might be featured in the newsletter.

Last week’s photo quiz featured a newly married couple posing for pictures outside Philly’s City Hall. Shoutout to Janet P., Lisa G., Deborah S., and Nick H. for knowing that’s where they were.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

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