Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia is finally improving

There's an interesting article on the "gentrification" of the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia.

The article online has the title "Rise in residential development in Germantown sparks optimism — and caution," WHYY/NPR).  But in my newsfeed the title started out "Germantown gentrification."

-- Germantown Info Hub 
-- Germantown Historic District, The Cultural Landscape Foundation

Germantown was an independent community that eventually merged into Philadelphia. When it was independent, it had its own city hall, Germantown Hall.  Photo: Kimberly Paynter, WHYY/NPR.

I have to laugh at the gentrification moniker.  10-15 years ago, we used to visit that area of Philadelphia a lot, along with Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill.  My 2003 op-ed in the Philadelphia Daily News was partially inspired by a super cool club-restaurant-performance space in an old Woolworth's (long since closed) in Germantown.  

I can't express how amazed I was at the level of disinvestment at the time.  Properties, although more on the east side of Germantown Avenue, were totally and unequivocally wrecked.  I mean, way worse than DC, except in the worst areas.  Even in Mount Airy you could buy huge beautiful stone houses for under $600,000.

So seeing that there is significant reinvestment now, is heartening, rather than a negative.  Note I wish they'd bring the streetcar back to Germantown Avenue.  

The C.A. Rowell Department Store in better days, and a Route 23 streetcar serving Germantown Avenue.

The old Germantown commercial district was a very large commercial district, secondary to downtown, but thriving with major stores including independent department stores like C.A. Rowell, along with chain stores, etc.

Weaver's Way Co-op started in Mt. Airy (is super cool), opened a store in Chestnut Hill, the high end neighborhood and commercial district just north, and is opening a store in Germantown.

The trolley line was replaced with buses in 1992, but the tracks are still in place.  

The area is served by two SEPTA lines, east and west of Germantown Avenue, a remnant of how both Reading Railroad and Pennsylvania Railroad served the region and competed.  SEPTA is proposing to close the west line because of redundancy and low ridership ("These NW Philly neighbors are fighting to protect their Regional Rail line as SEPTA’s budget crisis looms," Philadelphia Inquirer).

Kenyon Lofts.

The article discusses the development of new apartments, both new construction, as well as adaptive reuse.  

I am struck by the architectural deadness of the new buildings, even though developers swear up and down that their market research demonstrates this is the design tenants want ("Why new apartment buildings look the same," 2020).

Vernon Lofts apartments are an adaptive reuse project of the historically designated C.A. Rowell Department Store.

But I just can't believe that from a long term investment standpoint, that such buildings are superior to those with architectural and place value like the Vernon Lofts.

Because it's Philadelphia, not DC, the new apartments, in new buildings or old, are less expensive than you'd think.

The Rowell Department Store building before conversion to apartments.  There is still retail on the ground floor.

Elijah Anderson's Code of the Street is partly about the old neighborhoods around Germantown Avenue.