Algernong Allen standing in the remains of the Elena’s Soul building. (Archived photo/ courtesy of Algernong Allen)

Sad news for readers waiting on Elena’s Soul’s return: it seems the neo-jazz joint, which was destroyed by a fire in 2012, won’t make a second appearance on the lot of its former home at 4912 Baltimore Avenue—well, at least not for another two years.

That might not be such bad news for green thumbs, though. On Tuesday, Elena’s Soul owner Algernong Allen signed a contract with Greensgrow Farms after two months of talks to bring the urban farming hub to West Philly. As part of the deal, Greensgrow will lease Allen’s lot for two years, operating a multi-tiered site that the Kensington-based farm plans to open April 3. And during those two years, Allen told West Philly Local, he will consider the “feasibility of reconstruction” and redevelopment of the site.

“Realizing the void that Elena’s left both physically and culturally in the neighborhood, I wanted to do something that would be beneficial for a community that has been so kind to my family and I,” Allen, who’s currently running for state representative, told West Philly Local. “The Greensgrow deal not only provides a valuable resource to the urban greening community, but will also add more pedestrian traffic to Baltimore Avenue, attractiveness to the block, and even a few jobs for our local economy.” 

“To me, that’s a win-win-win for the entire community,” Allen added.

According to Greensgrow’s Ryan Kuck, the urban farm will develop on the parcel a garden center with vegetable starts, flowering plants, houseplants, and fruit trees; a small farmer’s market equipped to accept SNAP and Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) benefits; and a community-supported agriculture (CSA) pickup site. Greensgrow also plans to host a workshop series on the plot, as well as create a small gathering area that other community groups can use.

Greensgrow will operate at 4912 Baltimore Avenue rent-free for the first year of the two-year term, but will pay for taxes and operating costs. In return, Allen said he asked the organization to take “reasonable efforts to ensure that low income residents and local organizations are included, welcomed, and engaged”—a request that Greensgrow are intending to honor, Kuck told West Philly Local.

“This neighborhood has such a long and robust history of community greening that we knew we could help in continuing that tradition,” Kuck told West Philly Local. “Our Mobile Markets project that brings fresh fruit and vegetables to senior centers and other underserved residents has been working in West Philly for three years and … [we] wanted to continue to invest in this community.”

Greensgrow’s plans for the Baltimore Avenue space is indeed a fairly scaled down version of the proposal they drafted for the empty lots at the 51st Street and Baltimore Avenue intersection. That proposal, however, was shelved due to recent issues that have arisen on the 5000 and 5100 blocks of Baltimore Avenue—mainly, threats of eminent domain seizure and competing proposals for city-owned land, as well as insufficient space for long-term needs, said Kuck.

According to Allen, his former Elena’s Soul lot was mentioned to Greensgrow as a possible site after the prospect of developing at 51st Street and Baltimore Avenue ran “into some hiccups.” Specifically, said Kuck, the group that was in talks with Allen about building a compost facility at 4912 Baltimore Avenue invited Greensgrow to share the lease after the farms’ plans fell through, but once that group back out, Greensgrow took over the entire lease.

The new center is only a temporary location, though. According to Kuck, since Greensgrow is on a two-year lease, there are no plans for permanent construction—instead, they will lay new gravel, put up a new “greened” fence, and recycle a small shed building they used for the Philadelphia Flower Show. The new West Philly hub will operate more like a pop-up shop, he said.

In the meantime, Kuck told West Philly Local that Greensgrow have already spoken with many community partners and plan to hold more discussions “about our interest in developing a more permanent site in the community” their new site is up and running.

“Hopefully this is an opportunity to introduce our organization and what we do in a positive way to a wider audience,” Kuck said, “and open up doors for greater investment down the road.”

–Annamarya Scaccia