Neighborhood Anchor

Team

William Proud Masonry Restoration Company, Inc.
Hispanic Association of Contractors & Enterprises
SMP Architects

Context

The site is located on the American Street Corridor, a North Philadelphia industrial district eligible for business development services, tax credits and loans through the Empowerment Zone Program.

Site

William Proud Masonry is renovating a former candle-making factory for office space, storage, and staging. But there's still plenty of space left to develop: an empty, multi-story factory wing and over 60,000 square feet of adjacent vacant land. The site extends from wide, industrial-strength American Street to rowhouses along North Orianna Street.

Challenge

How can the underutilized portions of this reinvigorated industrial site be redeveloped to attract artisanal industries and create a neighborhood anchor?

Design Solution

- Build incrementally to let enterprise grow organically.
- Create opportunities for the community to learn, observe, and fabricate.
- Bridge the gap between industrial and residential scale through transitional uses and spaces.