The Post Brothers, a real estate development firm that has been gobbling up residential properties in West Philly, is shopping around plans for a newly renovated Hamilton Court, the historic apartment building complex at 39th and Chestnut.
The plans include a glassy new two-story structure in the courtyard (see rendering above) that would include ground-floor retail and a second-floor gym for residents. Built in 1901, Hamilton Court was one of West Philadelphia’s grand apartment buildings. Most of its grandeur has worn away as it’s now mostly filled with Penn undergraduates and its once elegant courtyard that once included a large fountain is now fenced off.
The plans also include reopening some of the ground-floor commercial spaces in the older buildings, which haven’t been used in some time. The Spruce Hill Community Association zoning committee, which got a look at the plans earlier this month, was generally supportive, according to reports. Some variances will still be needed from the city. Philly Curbed has more information on the plans.
Hamilton Court in all its grandeur in the early 1900s (Photo from the University of Pennsylvania Digital Archive).
September 1st, 2016 at 6:28 am
University city is being taken for a ride by Post Brothers – they come in with all these promises and not one of them is delivered. They have done nothing, but alienate tenants at Garden Court Plaza. Their idea of construction is something like having a bad contractor do your kitchen remodel. Their has been gutting of apartments – solid walls – probably with asbestos – but no plastic sealing off or vacuuming up of dust afterwards. Dogs are getting asthma, but you can’t prove it’s from this. I don’t know who all these high end developers think are coming to rent their properties. The academic teaching hospitals who are building research buildings bring employees, but these are not high paying jobs. So sad what is happening here. If people wanted to live in center city, they would. We live here because we like a tiny bit of a friendly suburban feel. That’s soon to be gone.
September 1st, 2016 at 4:48 pm
As you can tell by my name, I know a little something about buildings and that picture with the building all lit up just looks so awesome compared to that drab utilitarian Hamilton Court.
September 1st, 2016 at 8:01 pm
As you can tell by my name, I know a little something about artistic renderings being easier than final products.
September 2nd, 2016 at 10:08 am
And as you can tell from my name, I am the messenger of Gods.
And I know how to spell…
September 2nd, 2016 at 10:57 am
As you can tell by my name, I’ve got to be good.
September 5th, 2016 at 5:18 pm
Hamilton Court looks drab ONLY because of a lack of vision for the owners. It needs landscaping and some care to be restored to its former glory. Given the amount of care that went into that piss poor rendering I shudder to think of the quality of workmanship that will follow. The Post Brothers are far better than some of the slumlords they have purchased properties from, but this just looks like another loss for our neighborhood.
September 6th, 2016 at 2:16 pm
that thing looks like it could put a giant eye out… and also sprout tank treads and start driving around like a weaponized sandcrawler, destroying historic buildings and parking itself where they were.