Firehouse in Olde Kensington — built more than a century ago — gets renovated into apartments
Article by Michael Tanenbaum. March 26, 2024 {Philly Voice]
An Olde Kensington firehouse built in 1895 and recognized for its architectural significance has been converted into an apartment building with 29 units and ground-floor commercial space. The three-story building at 1221 N. Fourth St., just above of Girard Avenue, was originally the home of Engine Co. No. 29. It was designed by architect John T. Windrim, whose other notable works in Philadelphia include the Franklin Institute and the Lincoln-Liberty Building, at 1 S. Broad Street.
29-Unit Historic Firehouse Conversion Underway in Kensington
Article by Kyle McShane, March 15, 2022 [Rising Real-Estate]
In January of 2021 we told you about plans to convert a historic firehouse in Kensington into a mixed-use apartment building. Work is now well underway. Engine Company #29 at 1221 North 4th Street was built in 1895 and operated as a firehouse until 1979. After that, it was used for storage. Soon, it will have a whole new life that is more suitable than storage for such a beautiful building.
Building boom continues to reverberate northeast of Center City
Article by Alan J. Heavens, March 28, 2016 [Philadelphia Inquirer]
They told Jeff Tubbs that crossing Girard Avenue from Northern Liberties to build in Old Kensington was a crazy idea, especially in 2009, with the residential real estate market already deep in the recessionary tank. Tubbs was undeterred, and the Flats at Girard Pointe at Third Street and Germantown Avenue was built. The prices there were groundbreaking as well: $300,000 to $450,000 in an under-$100,000 area.
It’s Full Steam Ahead at Two Game-Changing Park Projects in South Philly
Article by James Jennings, June 18, 2015 [Philadelphia Magazine]
Connor Barwin, Urban Roots, the Philadelphia Water Department and others spearhead two major revitalization projects. Connor Barwin has become somewhat of a folk hero here in Philly. When he isn’t making big time plays on the gridiron, he’s spearheading a few game-changing community revitalization projects at two South Philly parks through his foundation, the Make The World Better Project. Through a partnership with the urban development non-profit Urban Roots Foundation, the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) and a slew of other local stakeholders, Barwin and crew are in the thick of a major project at Ralph Brooks Park at 20th and Tasker in Point Breeze and are about to kick off their efforts at another one, Smith Playground at 24th and Jackson.
On the House: Developer counts on rental market in Northern Liberties
Article by Alan Heavens and photo by Akira Suwa, Jun. 08, 2014 [Philly.com]
In 2008, he started building the Flats at Girard Pointe at Third Street and Germantown Avenue in Olde Kensington, just above Northern Liberties.That eco-friendly project of five townhouses and four condos, situated on an 8,000-square-foot lot bought from the city Redevelopment Authority, commanded prices of $300,000 to $450,000
Developer Jeffrey Tubbs: ‘I have a soft spot for giving back’
Article by Erin Arvedlund and photo by Charles Fox, Nov. 16, 2014 [Philly.com]
Lansdowne native Jeffrey Tubbs comes from a hardworking family. His father, David, has worked as a plumbing contractor for more than four decades. But the younger Tubbs preferred the city to the suburbs. He attended high school at Friends Select in Center City, then went to Boston University and on to the University of Pennsylvania for a master’s in urban planning.