Be sure to keep abreast of the latest development projects in the Penn’s Garden coverage area.   

New Owners At Red Bell Brewery

According to an article on Naked Philly, the Red Bell Brewery (1500 N. 31st Street) in Brewerytown has been bought from Rittenhouse Realty.

At this time, it is not clear who the buyer of the property is and what their plans are for the building.

The Spirit of Penn’s Garden reported earlier this month that Otto Wolf, a Philadelphia architect who lived during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, built more than 60 buildings in Brewerytown, including the Red Bell Brewery.

James R. Bell, a bond trader and investment banker, founded Red Bell Brewing Co. during the microbrewery craze in Philadelphia. The building closed, appropriately, at the time of the end of the microbrewery frenzy.

According to an article from Philly.com in 2002, Red Bell Brewing Co. was ordered to be closed by the state due to an unpaid amount of $80,000 in back taxes in early 2000s and hasn’t been used since.

The purchase of Red Bell Brewery follows other property developments within Brewerytown, like renovations on Hollywood Street and a $500 million redevelopment project that started in March with the implosion of Norman Blumberg Apartments.

Divine Lorraine Update

According to an article on Curbed Philly, the residential units of the derelict Divine Lorraine Hotel at 699 North Broad Street could be completed by as soon as the end of this year. The space allocated for restaurants and retail outlets will subsequently follow. The entire project is expected to be completed by March 2017.

The two uppermost floors of the 10-story hotel are nearly finished. There will be more than 120 apartment units and approximately 120,000 square feet of retail space.   

Developer Eric Blumenfeld gave members of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) a tour of the hotel on Wednesday, April 20 as part of the organization’s 2016 Spring Meeting. Blumenfeld – who is also behind several other renovative ventures along North Broad Street, including the Mural Arts Loft – took on the Divine Lorraine project in 2014.

“This project is different from anything we’ve done so far,” Blumenfeld said.

According to Blumenfeld, the Divine Lorraine will include two restaurants, one of which will be located on the first floor by the grand lobby and reception area. The other will be located in the annex building, which can be accessed from the hotel by way of an underground passage. One of the restaurants will parallel New York City’s Spotted Pig. A speakeasy will also be situated in the basement below.

Other Planned Projects

Developers plan to erect triplexes at 924 – 926 North 15th Street in Francisville. 924 is a vacant lot. Renovative plans were in the works several years ago, but nothing ever came to fruition. The property next door at 926 currently sits unoccupied. Both were purchased in 2014 by the same developer. Last summer, it was proposed that five additional triplexes be built on the 1500 block of Cambridge Street nearby. Nothing has become of those plans either.

At 2415 North Broad Street there is a vacant lot and a one-story building soon to be torn down. In its place Project HOME, a non-profit development organization, will erect an 88-unit housing project priced at approximately $24 million. Each unit will cost about $272,000 (bear in mind, however, that this also includes over 2,000 square feet of retail space as well). Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) has issued the building silver-certification status. The property will also feature a green roof.

Project HOME was founded in 1989. It seeks to provide housing for those living on the streets. They also offer adult education and healthcare services for the homeless and support enhanced public policy with regard to such matters.