As always, we here at West Philly Local aim to keep neighbors abreast of community news and inform you of updates to that news. For today’s installment of updates, we’ve rounded up news about three big projects we’ve featured in the last three months that verge from the exciting (tacos!) to the conflicting (another expensive development!). And, of course, if there are other updates you’d love to know, we’d love to hear them in the comments.

Groundbreaking for Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral’s $110 Million Development

Photo by West Philly Local.

Tomorrow, Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral and Radnor Property Group (RPG) will hold a groundbreaking for 38Chestnut—the $110 million mixed-used development at 38^th and Chestnut Streets that will see the razing of two historic brownstones (pictured) formerly used as the Cathedral’s parish house. The demolition will make way for a three-prong 326,000 square-foot project (owned by 3737 Chestnut, LP and developed by RPG) to be completed in 2015, and will include the construction of an allegedly “state-of-the-art” 25-story apartment building targeting professionals and grad students, as well as the Episcopal Cathedral Center that features a three-story office building with ground floor retail, a community center, and an early-learning childcare center. Additionally, as part of a settlement with the Preservation Alliance, the development will also see the renovation and maintenance of the cathedral itself. The groundbreaking starts at 2 p.m. at the Cathedral, located at 13-19 South 38th Street.

As we reported in November, the demolition to the two 19th-century brownstones has been nothing but contentious since it made news last summer. In an 8-2 vote, the Philadelphia Historical Commission approved the Cathedral’s hardship application to bulldoze the two historically-sanctioned houses, which were on the list of Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. The Preservation Alliance appealed this decision almost immediately, but came to an agreement with the Commission in March, in which a 50-year preservation and restoration plan is implemented and maintained by the Cathedral, with project funds set aside for immediate work on the house of worship. 

Next Steps for JJ Tiziou’s “Everyone is Photogenic” Project

Contact sheet of “Everyone is Photogenic” Test Run / Photos by JJ Tiziou.

In September, West Philly Local ran a profile on local photographer JJ Tiziou and the Kickstarter campaign for his “Everyone is Photogenic” project—which received a lot of subsequent press in the national media. With the month-long fundraiser, Tiziou was hoping to net $110,000 in donations to fund all aspects of his uplifting photo campaign featuring the diverse faces of our Philadelphia neighbors. By the time his Kickstarter closed on October 10, though, only $38,735 of his lofty $110,000 goal was pledged, effectively causing “Everyone is Photogenic” to go unfunded. That doesn’t mean that’s the end of Tiziou’s mission—when we caught up with Tiziou last week, he let us know that he’s currently in talks with a potential partner to pitch “Everyone is Photogenic” to the Kimmel Center as an entry into its 2015 Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA 2015). “[It] would be a potentially exciting opportunity to really do it the way that I wanted to,” Tiziou told West Philly Local. “In the meanwhile, the philosophy that everyone is photogenic will of course continue to guide and inform the rest of my work.”

Tiziou also posted an entry to his website about the lessons he’s learned from his “failed” Kickstarter campaign, noting that this “failure” may be a “blessing in disguise, as it’s freed up some time for me to dedicate to a more personal project with my father.” The project, known as Tiziou Space History, relates the work of his father, Jacques, as a photographer chronicling the aerospace industry and “a large part of mankind’s quest to explore space,” and offers glimpses into his collections, life, and mementos (which will be made available on eBay and other sites in the future).

Tacos Coming Our Way this Spring

Photo via Taco Angeleno’s Facebook page.

It’s not a stretch to say that everyone around these parts love tacos—at least, that’s what we’ve gathered from the comments on our May story about Taco Angeleno, a food truck opening at 5019 Baltimore Avenue. When we talked to owner Vanessa Jerolmack in May, she said she was hoping to open Taco Angeleno at the lot, located behind her home, in July, but no such luck. Despite holding one-off taco parties and vending at local events, like Go West! Craft Fest, bureaucratic red tape regarding zoning kept Jerolmack from opening her mobile taquería for regular operations by her hoped-for date. Come this spring, though, Taco Angeleno will sling tacos officially. On November 13, the Zoning Board of Adjustments granted Jerolmack a special exception/permit, allowing for a take-out restaurant to operate on the lot (it comes with a five-year temporary proviso). “Yes!!!!! We did it. We are able to sell tacos at 5019 Baltimore Ave. now after many hours of meetings, hearings and jumping through hoops. Can’t wait to feed you all this coming Spring!,” Jerolmack wrote on Taco Angeleno’s Facebook page November 15.

­-Annamarya Scaccia