WHERE ONCE there were rat feces, pigeon droppings, toxic
mold and a 2-foot pile of dead birds, soon there will be luxury apartments, a
fitness center, rooftop hot tubs and even a dog wash.
The old annex to the Mid-City YWCA is finally gone.
Abandoned and blighted for 23 years, it was knocked down by construction crews
in January to make way for a high-rise that will include 110 apartments,
first-floor retail, space for a neighboring high school and more.
Politicians and developers gathered last Wednesday at the
construction site on Chestnut Street near 20th for an official groundbreaking
in the pit where bulldozers already had removed the remaining bits of the
60-year-old annex.
The four-story building had been a headache - and a
biohazard bonanza, with mold, fungi, vermin, asbestos and other problems - for
neighbors, including the Freire Charter School.
The high school shared a wall with the annex, and school
administrators had pleaded for years with the city - the Redevelopment
Authority had owned it since 1993 - to remediate or raze the hazardous
hellhole.
At last week's groundbreaking, Freire's student-body
president, Tyrone Williams, thanked the developers and politicians gathered,
including Mayor Nutter, City Council President Darrell Clarke and Councilwoman
Jannie Blackwell.
"In a world where money and profits seem to be the
focus, it is refreshing when you see the focus being placed on bettering the
community," Williams said.
Aquinas Realty Partners bought the site from the city for
$800,000 and named the project AQ Rittenhouse.
The 12-story tower will include space for Freire, a
bicycle-repair shop and storage, rooftop grills and fire pits, a center
courtyard, a 24-hour doorman and concierge, a Wi-Fi cafe, a restaurant and
other ground-level retail.
It's expected to be completed this fall.
Center City is Philadelphia's fastest-growing residential
neighborhood, according to the Center City District. Residential population
downtown grew by more than 10 percent from 2001 to 2011, the district found in
a 2011 report.
Source: Philly.com
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