“Area of the 2600 block of Poplar Street where Ashaw Demolition of Oxford Circle took down nearly half a block of buildings.” | Photo: Alejandro A. Alvarez, for The Inquirer
- The Inquirerinvestigates the city government’s failure to reform demolition work following the 2013 building collapse at 22nd & Market. From April to September of last year, Ashaw Demolition reportedly used various hazardous demolition methods in leveling half of the 2600 block of Poplar Street in the Fairmount area–the firm used of bulldozers to knock down unsupported walls toward the street. Haphazard approaches like these have been disowned after the tragic Hoagie City and Salvation Army building collapse in 2013. To make matters worse, all of the work was undertaken without a permit i.e. no actionable safety plan. Sources within L&I, speaking anonymously in fear of retribution, alluded to an air of corruption. One inspector claimed that his superiors disregarded his suggestion to move against the “illegal demolition,” saying that the resistance he met indicated that it was a “very political job.”
- CBS Phillyinterviews Ann Peltz, director of Philadelphia Open Studio Tours at the Center for Emerging Visual Artists. Peltz stressed the importance of creatives in growing a community as she discussed the promise of Germantown. “Artists are those urban pioneers that get into neighborhoods and make them what we as the general public come to know and love.”
- The Inquirer’s Inga Saffron explores a small string of banks along South 7th Street that catered to the financial needs of the thousands of Italian immigrants who settled in South Philadelphia at the turn of the 20th century. She highlights Pemberton Street’s Banca D’Italia from 1903, which is “is probably the best preserved of the survivors,”, says Saffron, citing the developers’ foresight in diversifying usage with the inclusion of three apartment units. Sporting the then popular bull nose façade of American commercial buildings, the banca nonetheless exudes distinct Mediterranean flare—notably in the impressive stone working of the main door frame.
- Philadelphia Magazine’s Dan McQuade traces the derivations of some of the city’s more curious street names.
About the author
Stephen Currall recently received his BA in history from Arcadia University. Before beginning doctoral studies, he is pursuing his interest in local history, specifically just how Philadelphians engage their vibrant past. Besides skimming through 18th century letters, Steve is also interested in music and travel.
