Rail Park open phase I is a quarter mile elevated curved section from N. 13th St. to Callowhill St.
Rail Park planned phase II is the 0.75 mile (three times the length of phase I) viaduct from Vine St. to Fairmount Ave. For more than two decades, the city has been attempting to acquire this section from Reading Co. but the organization has refused to sell (or develop). Paul Levy, former head of Center City District, has made it his life's work to wrest control from Reading. Without the infrastructure in the city's possession, fundraising has lagged.
Phase III involves Septa-owned "The Cut" and "The Trench" west of Broad Street. Septa is considering use as bus rapid transit/biking/walking rather than park land.
The Family Court/19th and Wood municipal surface lot redevelopment is on indefinite hold.
In April 2024, National Real Estate Development pulled out of the project, citing a shift in its long-term investment strategy (without specifying what shift occurred) and the difficult construction financing environment (i.e., high interest rates).
At that time, Mayor Parker said the project and the relocation of the African American Museum, to which the city had committed $50 million, would still move forward. The administration initiated unsuccessful talks with other developers to join the project.
In May 2024, Philadelphia Business Journal reported that the whole redevelopment was paused due to the extremely difficult financing market (i.e., borrowing costs and interest rates were too high to make a profit). That meant conversion of the former Family Court building into a 250-room hotel, new construction of a 30-floor apartment/retail tower, relocation of the African American Museum of Philadelphia, and expansion of the Free Library of Philadelphia remained (and remain) at a standstill.
The area in question is called the Baldwin Park neighborhood. The Franklin Town project, announced publicly in 1971, used eminent domain to bulldoze neighbors out of their homes and businesses. It was to be a $400 million “city within a city” completed in ten years. The project developed so slowly that there were surface parking lots and completely vacant lots for decades. The name of the park in the middle of the neighborhood was changed from Franklin Town Park to Matthias Baldwin Park in 2011 due to neighborhood disdain for the Franklin Town. The name of the neighborhood was changed on NextDoor to Baldwin Park for the same reason. No one calls it Franklin Town. All these issues, and issues in the posted article above, are discussed on the history pages at www.baldwinparkphilly.org. Use the map on the History page, or the search box on every page, or scroll through the list of 100 articles on the History page.
Rail Park open phase I is a quarter mile elevated curved section from N. 13th St. to Callowhill St.
Rail Park planned phase II is the 0.75 mile (three times the length of phase I) viaduct from Vine St. to Fairmount Ave. For more than two decades, the city has been attempting to acquire this section from Reading Co. but the organization has refused to sell (or develop). Paul Levy, former head of Center City District, has made it his life's work to wrest control from Reading. Without the infrastructure in the city's possession, fundraising has lagged.
Phase III involves Septa-owned "The Cut" and "The Trench" west of Broad Street. Septa is considering use as bus rapid transit/biking/walking rather than park land.
Here’s a new article about how Jane Jacobs would assess the neighborhood pre and post the Franklin Town development project of 1971: www.baldwinparkphilly.org/jane-jacobs-and-baldwin-park
The Family Court/19th and Wood municipal surface lot redevelopment is on indefinite hold.
In April 2024, National Real Estate Development pulled out of the project, citing a shift in its long-term investment strategy (without specifying what shift occurred) and the difficult construction financing environment (i.e., high interest rates).
At that time, Mayor Parker said the project and the relocation of the African American Museum, to which the city had committed $50 million, would still move forward. The administration initiated unsuccessful talks with other developers to join the project.
In May 2024, Philadelphia Business Journal reported that the whole redevelopment was paused due to the extremely difficult financing market (i.e., borrowing costs and interest rates were too high to make a profit). That meant conversion of the former Family Court building into a 250-room hotel, new construction of a 30-floor apartment/retail tower, relocation of the African American Museum of Philadelphia, and expansion of the Free Library of Philadelphia remained (and remain) at a standstill.
Hi Craig - I reached out to the PIDC directly, and they stated that things were still on-going with the project with the remaining development team.
That's good to know.
Thank you. A pictorial history of the site is at https://www.baldwinparkphilly.org/family-court
These 3 projects should be a nice improvement to the area.
The area in question is called the Baldwin Park neighborhood. The Franklin Town project, announced publicly in 1971, used eminent domain to bulldoze neighbors out of their homes and businesses. It was to be a $400 million “city within a city” completed in ten years. The project developed so slowly that there were surface parking lots and completely vacant lots for decades. The name of the park in the middle of the neighborhood was changed from Franklin Town Park to Matthias Baldwin Park in 2011 due to neighborhood disdain for the Franklin Town. The name of the neighborhood was changed on NextDoor to Baldwin Park for the same reason. No one calls it Franklin Town. All these issues, and issues in the posted article above, are discussed on the history pages at www.baldwinparkphilly.org. Use the map on the History page, or the search box on every page, or scroll through the list of 100 articles on the History page.