Northern Liberties
Condo of the Day: 603 N American St. #401
We're intrigued by the listing for this unit in the Northern Liberties condo Lighthaus since it's the cheapest one in the building but, at 1,562 square feet, also one of the largest. The two-bedroom, two-bath is asking $435,000; another condo in the development that's the same size is listed for $50K more. Perhaps the views from this one—one of the condo's main selling points, since all units come with private balconies—isn't as show-stopping as in some of the building's other pads?
603 N American St. #401 [CitySpace] GMAP MLS
Tenshi Beauty Bar Opens at Piazza
Tenshi Beauty Bar, which we mentioned was on its way to the Piazza, is open now, complete with a house line of beauty products as well as Phyto, Subtil Hair Care, and Bio Elements Skin Care products. There are also stations for on-site makeup consultations. GMAP
Closing Bell: Nana Petrillo's Promises Capogiro
Wisely, Nana Petrillo's is leading with the Capogiro gelato as it readies a sizable Piazza space tucked between Apollinaire and Euphoria cafe. According to Meal Ticket, they'll be serving up cannoli, pizzele and coffees other Italian-inspired treats by June. GMAP
Vincent Michael Gallery Opening—in Theory
High Fidelity's space in the Piazza is set to be replaced by Vincent Michael Gallery. The first show, "Fully Loaded," is a group exhibition scheduled to open June 4. That is, of course, barring any hitches: we did notice a "cease operations/stop work order" posted to the Hancock Street entrance. GMAP
Closing Bell: Has Speck Hit a Road Bump?
We don't have first-hand experience, but these candy cane-striped cease work orders from the Department of Licensing and Inspections never seem to lead anyplace terribly good. This one was affixed to the Hancock Street entrance of the forthcoming Speck Food and Wine. Hopefully for the sake of anxious palates across Northern Liberties, chef Shola Olunloyo will be able to take care of whatever L&I; is worked up about and get his much anticipated restaurant open soon. GMAP
Condo of the Day: 1147-53 N 4th St #6C
The main living space in this 1,893-square-foot Northern Liberties condo appears quite fetching—the super-high ceilings in particular look very attractive. It comes with deeded parking and the listing says there's a rent-to-own option. The seller is looking to let it go for about 12 percent less than he paid for it in 2005, asking $549,900. That sound about right?
1147-53 N 4th St #6C [Keller Williams] GMAP MLS
Tony Piazza Gets Posh Boutique
Over the weekend, Posh Boutique popped up in the Piazza, in a storefront with a wide-open space sparsely populated with racks of cute minidresses and studded tank tops. A nice surprise, especially for Northern Liberties: The clothes only look expensive. Many items were priced well under $100. GMAP
Condo of the Day: 147 W Laurel St #B
This is a unit in the eco-friendly Thin Flats development. (A video tour of the project can be seen on You Tube.) It's got three bedrooms, three baths, decks, a private garden space, and is listed for $579,900. Anyone checked one of these out in the flesh?
147 W Laurel St #B [Cityspace] GMAP MLS
Rent Check: Northern Liberties House
This Orianna Street house looks pretty darn nice for a rental: 2,400 square feet, four bedrooms, a backyard, a deck off the second floor, and hardwood floors throughout. It's going for $2,350 a month, but the big catch is that the owners aren't down with an "Animal House" scenario and say they "are not jazzed about having more than 2 people sharing the lease." (Unclear whether a family would be OK.) Money-wise, it's tough to see two people choosing this over the Piazza, where the nicer two-beds start at around $1,800. Then again, it could be that this appeals to a different demographic still intent on NoLibs. Think it'll find tenants at this price?
920 North Orianna 4-Bed Rental [Craigslist] GMAP
Facelift for a 19th Century Kitchen
Here are before-and-afters from the remodeling done on a Northern Liberties kitchen by general contracting company Buckminster Green. There's a gallery of the redone kitchen here, and the firm writes that "the design incorporates salvaged and classic materials. The result is an updated and enlarged kitchen that does not seem out of place in a 19th century home with many original features. To create the space we installed two steel beams and removed the brick wall separating the old breakfast room (the original kitchen in 1875) from the 'new' kitchen." What do you think of it?
Buckminster Green [Official Site]
House of the Day: 919-25 N Front St #H
The exterior of this newish Northern Liberties end-unit townhouse is unlikely to set anyone's heart racing, but its innards don't look half as ticky-tacky. Specs: 2,708 square feet; three bedrooms; and one-car garage. It's listed for $459,00 and originally sold for $399,000 a little more than four years ago. Think the seller is right to bet on appreciation?
919-25 N Front #H [Coldwell Banker] GMAP MLS
Pathmark at Schmidt's Looms Large
While the southwestern portion of the Shops at Schmidt's complex is still underway, that work is now positively dwarfed by the steel structure going up on the northwestern end of the property. Outlines of the vast bulk of Tower's Pathmark and shopping complex are taking shape at the corner of Hancock Street and Girard Avenue. While the structure will cast a long shadow over this otherwise low-lying block of Girard Avenue, hopefully the street-level shops depicted in this elevation (looking from that corner toward Second Street) will make the development more inviting from the Fishtown side. GMAP
Views From the Lighthaus
Here are a few shots of the Lighthaus, the new condo at 603 N. American Street in NoLibs. Thus far, there have been seven sales in the building, and prices on current listings for the condo's two-bedroom/two bath units go from $435,000 to $485,000. There are four units per floor, and most of them are in the 1,300- to 1,560-square-foot range. While there's not much common space to speak of, the condos all have balconies.
Lighthaus [Official Site] GMAP
Cafe La Maude Opening on North 4th Street
Domani Developers are putting the finishing touches on a new family business: a French-Lebanese cafe on North 4th Street next to City Planter. Cafe La Maude will serve up sandwiches, salads, paninis and La Colombe coffee, as well as baked treats made off-site by a former Le Bec Fin pastry chef. Roland Kassis and his sister, Nathalie, are running the family business, which will be open until 10 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. The soft opening is this week in a newly remodeled setting that once hosted another coffee shop, The Latte Lounge. GMAP
Tower Plans Rowhomes for Orianna Lot
Tower Investments is hoping to turn a large vacant lot on the 1100 block of Orianna Street into seven rowhouses, each three stories and three bedrooms, with a backyard and a roof deck. Northern Liberties Zoning gave preliminary approval for the project, rendered above, which Tower representatives say they plan to sell rather than rent. The design calls for two-tone brick facing on the houses, which will range from 1,370 square feet to around 1,900 square feet. GMAP
Fabric Horse Replacement: Tenshi Beauty Bar
Fabric Horse has cleared out of Unit 21 at the Piazza, after being priced out. Coming in its place: Tenshi Beauty Bar, a cosmetics store featuring a line of make-up created by Brandi DaVila, owner of Salon Tenshi at 537 North 10th Street. GMAP
Northern Liberties Through the Years
PhilaPlace's blog has a post about content the site has added documenting Northern Liberties' past. We found the video of Agnes Hatcher, who was born in the late '20s and grew up in the neighborhood, most entertaining. Among other things, Hatcher notes that the factories in the area made for "a stinking neighborhood! You didn't know sometimes what you were smelling.." Also highlighted is artist Jennifer Baker's documentation of the area starting in the late '70s and the history of the Garden Looms building at 2nd and Fairmount, where women's lingerie was manufactured from the mid-20th century until 1985, when the factory closed.
Changes: Northern Liberties [PhilaPlace]
Photo by slade1955.
Tower Makes Progress on Pathmark at Schmidt's
In February, Tower Investments broke ground on the Shops at Schmidt's, the site of a future Pathmark, and work on the structure at 2nd Street and Girard Avenue appears to be going at a brisk pace. It will have to, given the promised occupancy deadline of "late 2010." The supermarket will span 50,000 square feet and be surrounded by 50,000 square feet of additional retail spaces, some of which will be as large as 2,000 square feet. According to renderings, the style of the structure is in keeping with the rest of the Piazza at Schmidt's development, with an exterior checkerboard of glass and metal panels. The plans appear to indicate two levels of parking and storefronts, and a digital clock tower. GMAP
Near and Far Vacates Becker Building Space
Near and Far, the artisan furniture and home goods store, has left the Becker Building, just south of Girard Avenue on Third Street. While its online store appears to be operational, the owners haven't responded to an inquiry about future retail locations. Core Realty has the listing for the furniture shop's former home—$1,900 per month for 1,800 square feet, if you're interested—though we're not sure exactly when this went on the market. Anyone know what happened to Near and Far? GMAP
Rejoice! Shola's Speck Coming to Piazza
The liquor application posted at Unit 55 at the Piazza— a mid-size unit with entrances onto both the development's courtyard and Hancock Street—reads only Hancock Restaurant Holdings I. But Chowhound used some fancy footwork to link the source code to Shola Olunloyo, Philadelphia's most vaunted chef-without-a-restaurant. A placeholder website is up for the eatery, called Speck Food and Wine. Foobooz reports today that the New American eatery "will seat 65 with a kitchen counter for 5 and an indoor bar for 12. There will be an outdoor area as well." Will this be the Piazza's first real destination restaurant? GMAP
Fairies Land Amidst Piazza Tenant Churn
While a number of initial tenants at the Piazza, including High Fidelity Gallery and Fabric Horse, are moving on, new businesses are still setting up shop. Fiona's Fairys, formerly sold online and in the Amberella Gallery, now claims a small space on the north side of the complex. There, designer and seamstress Karen Clarke deals exclusively in things frilly and adorable, including tutus, fairy costumes and dresses. The shop may have an extremely limited target demographic, but it sure is cute. GMAP
Northern Liberties Gets a Beer Distributor—Finally
The Piazza's resident beer geeks now have an option besides paying $20 for a mix-a-six at the Foodery: Global Beer Distribution opened at the end of March, in the former Northern Liberties Automotive space at 1150 N. Hancock Street. In addition to mountainous displays of Budweiser and Coors Light, most local breweries are well represented here, along with some hard-to-find imports. GMAP
House of the Day: 111 Fairmount Avenue
This Northern Liberties cutie has a lot going for it, including easy access to the train and third-floor loft space that could be used either as a home office or an additional bedroom. On the other hand, while the listing says the brick house has "many original details preserved," those don't come through in the photos, and for a house that has seen a decent amount of updating, the lack of central air may be a turnoff for all-mod-cons buyers. Still, the $309,000 price tag seems like it could hit a sweet spot for first-timers intent on NoLibs. Agree?
111 Fairmount Ave [Remax] GMAP MLS
