Around the Block: 3/10/2023

March 13, 2023 BY JEFF CITY BLOCK

Philly flag talk, our new and current listings, and Philly happenings. If you’d like to discuss real estate or anything in this newsletter please send me an email: [email protected]. This edition of Around the Block was originally published on Friday, 3/10/23.

3/10/2023

Relevant Commentary, all information Philly (real estate and otherwise), Open Houses, Listings, Happenings, and More — by Jeff “City” Block

Philly Flag Talk

As ATB readers know, I really like flags. I discussed them in this July 2021 newsletter. That summer, I wrote:

“I love flags. I love the United States flag, whether the original 13-starred flag, which legend says was partially designed and sewn by Betsy Ross at 2nd & Arch, or the current version with 50 stars. The Stars & Stripes does not belong to one political party or any particular group. It is the flag that represents our entire country. I respect those who revere it. And I respect those who protest it. And everyone in between. That is what our flag stands for!”

Then I went on to analyze the City of Philadelphia flag, which looks like this:

I noted that this is one of my favorite flags. First, it is our flag, and for that reason, I love it intrinsically. But I also really like the flag itself. Like the three-bar blue and yellow color scheme and how that ties into the city’s 17th Century Swedish history. I have always thought we have a great motto—Philadelphia Maneto, Latin for “May Brotherly Love Continue.” That is awesome. And there’s that most interesting City Seal. I mean a lot to unpack there, but here are my observations from the 2021 ATB:

This has been the City Seal since the latter 18th Century.
David Rittenhouse was one of the Seal’s designers. Rittenhouse was a renowned 18th Century Astronomer who is probably best known now for the wonderful Square and neighborhood that bear his name. He was born in Rittenhouse Town, which was named for his family in the 17th Century. I currently live less than 5 minutes from Rittenhouse Town, which is now part of Fairmount Park and the Wissahickon Valley Trails. And it is said that the idea for the field of stars on the American flag may have been inspired by Rittenhouse’s work.
The Seal originally included the year 1701, which was then removed when someone pointed out that the City was founded in 1683. I guess they just left the whole year thing out after that to make sure no one made another mistake.
Then there is the cornucopia, plow, ship, scroll with anchor, two women, and the standard shield and fancy squiggles that you would expect to find on any proper coat of arms.
But my favorite part of the City Seal, by far, is… wait for it… the disembodied arm. The disembodied arm is holding the Scales of Justice. I am both an attorney and a Libra, and the disembodied arm on my favorite City’s Flag just happens to be holding the Scales. Coincidence?
You will also see the City’s Flag without the Seal. Flags flown by the city government must use the seal while privately flown flags have the option of using the seal or going without.
Philly has so many odd things that help shape its character: Scrapple, the name Wawa, MAC Machines (try asking for one in another city), Gritty, down the shore (type that in Grammarly), Mütter Museum, Whispering Walls, Mummers, wiz wit. And of course, the disembodied arm on our City’s Shield and Flag.

(Graphic courtesy of a typically random Dan McQuade Tweet. Dec. 2014.)

Ok, so I love this flag, but then this week, the Philadelphia Inquirer had an opinion piece bluntly entitled “Philadelphia’s flag is very bad.” I was like, WHAT THE WHAT? I jumped right in to see what Assistant Opinion Editor Alison McCook was talking about and why she thought that about our flag. She had too many reasons to mention here, but you know what? I thought… many of her assertions were quite persuasive. And then I realized that I bought a Philly flag in the 1990s, and I never displayed it. I just have it. Why is that? The article notes that in some cities the flag is a source of both municipal pride and marketing dollars. I agree with Alison that we should have that here. Which leads to the subtitle of this opinion piece, “Can you design a better one?”

Well yes, I can. And you can too. It is actually a lot of fun. Here is what I came up with, the further tweaks I would make to this version (that were not available in the Inquirer flag creation tool), and why.

That is the basic design. I don’t necessarily love the look of this particular Liberty Bell art, so I would go with something else. The Liberty Bell is a national treasure and perhaps our city’s most enduring symbol.

Along with this, of course:

But the bell has been around over two centuries longer (though sans crack until 1846).

And I obviously love the Liberty Bell. The City Block Team logos have always included the Liberty Bell. Way back to 2002.

And I keep a little Liberty Bell on my desk.

I decided to keep the three vertical bars as a link to the current flag but went with the red, white, and blue to transition from the 17th Century Swedish colors to the 18th Century American colors. Philly is America’s birthplace, after all.

Then the obvious, big open question (perhaps only in my mind) is do we include the words “Philadelphia Maneto” or “Long Live Brotherly Love” or something like that? Perhaps “Long Live” in a semi-circle above the bell and a “Brotherly Love” semi-circle below. There we go… I think that is it.

Then I realized that there is one design that the Inky flag maker can create that we can all agree would be the absolute worst flag ever…

BOOOOOOOOOOO!

Anyway, if you are so inclined to design your own Philly flag, please email it to me. I would love to check it out.

Have a great weekend (even though it will be one hour shorter as we “Spring-forward”).

Warm regards,

Jeff

Two University City

Spotlight Properties

UNIVERSITY CITY

435 S 46th Street

Brand New Listing

5 BD | Family Room/Office | 2.5 BA | 2,721 SF | Sun Porch |

Original Character | Rear Deck | Parking | $750,000

The best of West Philly! This 2970 s.f. three-story townhouse is on a wide, tree-lined street in University City’s Garden Court neighborhood. Built c.1921 by community developer Clarence Siegel, it features original French doors, hardwood flooring, leaded glass, a living room fireplace and a grand staircase. And parking! There’s a garage off the rear alley, plus an additional parking space in front of the garage.

The first floor has a year-round sun porch, large living room, formal dining room, wide-open kitchen/ breakfast room, and a rear deck. Upstairs, there are 5 bedrooms, a sunny second floor family room/ office, and two baths. There’s an additional half bath in the unfinished basement. You can live in the house as-is and/or make the changes you want, rather than being stuck with a flipper’s insensitive changes! The 46th & Osage-Larchwood location is one of the most popular in West Philly, and within the catchment area for the well-regarded Penn Alexander K-8 public grade school*. The house is just a couple of blocks north of Baltimore Avenue – University City’s “Main Street” – with an eclectic mix of restaurants and shops. Clark Park is only a few blocks away. Catch the trolley on Baltimore Ave. for a fast 15- minute ride to center city Philadelphia, with stops along the way at UPenn, Drexel U, and the 30th St. transportation hub. (*Catchment area address doesn’t guarantee admittance.)

View full listing here

UNIVERSITY CITY

322 S Saint Bernard Street

Brand New Listing

4 BD | 2.5 BA | 2,550 SF | Finished Lower Level | Front Garden | Rear Deck | 3 Car Parking | $635,000

Home Sweet Home! Move-in ready, upgraded and lovingly maintained 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath, with 3 CAR PARKING, front garden, rear deck, and finished lower level on a beautiful, low traffic and tree-lined block.

A delightful mix of old world charm and modern amenities, this end-terraced home boasts more natural light and is wider than most — with windows along the entire south, east and west side of the house maximizing 3 daylight exposures. Sitting pretty on a 25 x 100 lot, this cheerful home offers a private entry with serene views of the front garden or direct home access via the garage. A bright and airy living room features a decorative fireplace, bay window, and a smartly placed closet to keep things tidy. Original hardwood floors flow into a spacious dining room, ideal for entertaining family and friends. From the dining room you’ll have easy access to an eat-in chef’s kitchen boasting granite countertops, island, stainless steel appliances and maple wood cabinetry. Continue to the spacious rear deck, perfect for dining al fresco and relaxing.

Head upstairs to find four well-sized bedrooms featuring handsome original hardwood floors, wonderful natural light, plenty of closet space, two full bathrooms, and a linen closet. The main bedroom impresses with great closet space, built-in bookshelves, and en-suite bathroom with sleek finishes and stall shower, all which make a perfect retreat.

In the finished basement you will find another bathroom, laundry and bike storage room, plus more living area with ample ceiling height for a potential 5th bedroom or for extended entertaining, workout, play or office space. From the basement you have inside access to the 2-car garage, and additional egress with 1-car driveway parking.

Additional home highlights include Anderson double-hung windows, 200 amp service, upgraded systems including central air; and situated on a neighborly block in the LEA SCHOOL CATCHMENT with a cute pocket park and playground at the end of the block. Also, close to Clark Park and its fabulous Farmers Market, many restaurants, coffee shops, shopping, the University City Swim Club, Mariposa Food Co-op, Cobbs Creek Nature Center with its lovely trails and meadows, Laura Sims Skatehouse, tennis courts, and so much more. Plus, near HUP, CHOP, Penn, Drexel, University of the Sciences and easy commute to Center City by car or bike with plenty of convenient trolley and bus options. Welcome home!

View full listing here

Philly Fun This Week

Women’s History Month Events

Throughout this month, visit the National Constitution Center to check out its exhibit: The 19th Amendment: How Women Won the Vote. This exhibit is all about the history of women’s suffrage in America. Also this month is an interactive Women Leading the Way show that traces the suffragist movement from the colonial era to today and daily pop-up talks in the suffragist story corner. Regular museum admission includes all Women’s History Month programming.

Photograph from constitutioncenter.org & content courtesy of uwishunu.

New Restaurants to Try

If you enjoy Mexican food and haven’t tried it out yet, visit El Chingon in South Philly. This delicious Latino joint has an incredible menu that highlights chef Carlos Aparicio’s hometown of Puebla. One awesome dish to try is the cemitas (sandwiches from Puebla) on fresh-baked bread with multiple meat and veggie options including chicken or beef milanese, adobo pork, chorizo, and herb-marinated mushrooms.
Who doesn’t love pasta? Philly has plenty of pasta places to choose from, but for something new, head to Farina Di Vita which just opened in December. This Queen Village restaurant offers specialty handmade pasta, hot and cold sandwiches on Sarcone’s rolls, a deli with imported meats, and chicken cutlets.
Midtown Village. is home to many awesome restaurants and recently it gained another. The Hayes is an American tavern and gastropub created by Chef Townsend Wentz. Wentz also owns the Spanish tapas restaurant Oloroso and his new spot features a high-class spin on classic pub fare such as wings, burgers, roasted chicken, mussels, and steak frites.

Photograph from thehayesphl.com & content courtesy of uwishunu.

Featured Listings

UNIVERSITY CITY

435 S 46th Street

BRAND NEW LISTING

5 BD | 2.5 BA | 2,721 SF | $750,000

UNIVERSITY CITY

322 S Saint Bernard Street

BRAND NEW LISTING

4 BD | 2.5 BA | 2,550 SF | $635,000

MOUNT AIRY

7111 Germantown Avenue

New Construction

$340,000 – $1,200,000

WEST POWELTON

321 N 40th Street

BRAND NEW LISTING

5 Units | 5,792 SF | $1,595,000

UNIVERSITY CITY

4632 Larchwood Avenue

COMING SOON

5 BD | 2.5 BA | 2,718 SF | $997,500

SOCIETY HILL

742 Lombard Street

3 BD | 2 BA | 1,446 SF | $725,000

UNIVERSITY CITY

632 S 51st Street

4 BD | 1.5 BA | 1,792 SF | $419,000

WASH WEST

504 S 11th Street #36

NEW PRICE

2 BD | 1.5 BA | 1,166 SF | $368,000

UNIVERSITY CITY

4614 Paschall Avenue

4 BD | 4.5 BA | 2,800 SF | $598,000

SOCIETY HILL

504 S Hancock Street

NEW PRICE

2 BD | 1 BA | 1,100 SF | $345,000

Experienced real estate agent?

Would you consider joining one of the most respected real estate teams in Philadelphia?

The City Block Team is looking for an experienced agent who wants to provide Expert Real Estate Representation. CBT is committed to helping you build your business and offers excellent coaching and mentoring; solid systems & admin support; leads (quality over quantity); superb team camaraderie; and outstanding team name recognition and regard.

Please contact [email protected] to discuss. All inquiries are confidential. Thank you.

Know Someone Looking to Buy or Sell?

As always, please know that I’m humbled by and appreciative of your introductions and referrals. If you have a friend, colleague, or family member that is in need of Expert Real Estate Representation, please have them contact me.

Be assured, I will do my best to exceed their expectations! Thanks for taking the time to read this issue of Around the Block.

Some imagery in this e-newsletter was sourced via UWISHUNU, constitutioncenter.org, thehayesphl.com, and Canva.

Office: 212-913-9058

Compass RE is a licensed real estate broker. All material is intended for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. No statement is made as to the accuracy of any description or measurements (including square footage). This is not intended to solicit property already listed. No financial or legal advice provided. Equal Housing Opportunity. Photos may be virtually staged or digitally enhanced and may not reflect actual property conditions.

Philly Flag Talk

Two University City

Spotlight Properties

435 S 46th Street

322 S Saint Bernard Street

Philly Fun This Week

Featured Listings

Moving? Discover the value of your home.