245 S. 45th Street earlier this week. (Photos by West Philly Local)

We’re catching up on the news of an old house being demolished on 45th Street between Spruce and Locust. Naked Philly reported last week that demolition work had begun on an old home in Spruce Hill at 245 S. 45th St. Well, the building, which is a 3780 sq. foot condo home built in 1935, was demolished earlier this week to make way for an eight-unit apartment building, according to the licence. The building was sold in June for $275,000 to Dvora Properties.

The property has been vacant for years. It was in deteriorating condition and had multiple code violations. It’s zoned RM1, which allows construction of multi-unit housing.

Dvora Properties is reportedly associated with Glasberg Properties, a developer who’s linked to student housing near Temple University, which “looks like the standard no-frills new construction you see around town,” according to Naked Philly.

By the way, speaking of the 200 block of 45th Street, some of you may have noticed that the Watusi II was undergoing some renovation. The restaurant has a new owner – Ethiopian American Temsgen Wolegzi. He purchased the property in July and reportedly has plans for a more formal restaurant to go along with the bar. Wolegzi presented plans for the restaurant, which has been renamed New Tavern (pictured left), to neighbors and the Spruce Hill Community Association over the summer, even presenting a proposed menu.

The city shut down the bar, which then was under different ownership, for several weeks last fall for failure to pay back taxes.

UPDATE: Best House’s liquor license is being transferred to the owners of Local 44. The new establishment’s name will be Clarkville Beer and it’s coming in Spring 2015, according to its Twitter account. Local 44 owners are unable to shed more light on it yet as they’re still in the process of signing the lease. We’ll update when we have more information.

The Best House Pizza at 43rd and Baltimore has closed and a new restaurant/bar will open in that spot under new owners.

We don’t have many details on the change, but a source from the Spruce Hill Community Association said that the organization is waiting to see if the new owners will request any zoning variances, which would trigger a public hearing on the project.

The previous owners took over in 2006 and changed the name of the pizzeria from The Wurst House to The Best House.

Photo from Marigold Kitchen Facebook page.

Great news for local Marigold Kitchen fans! The highly-noted upscale Spruce Hill based restaurant, which has many fans around the city and outside of it, is set for its grand reopening on Thursday, Sept. 25, after being closed this summer for some remodeling work.

As was reported earlier, the restaurant, located in an old Victorian home at 45th and Larchwood, changed hands this summer, with the former owner, Robert Halpern, moving out of the area and selling his business to his own chefs de cuisine, Andrew Kochan and Tim Lanza, both 26. Marigold’s executive chef Keith Krajewski also continues his work at the restaurant. Basically, the restaurant hired only one new person, General Manager Christopher Albert (more details about the team are here).

The new team are very excited about reopening the restaurant and already had three soft opening events, which “were a great success.”

Here’s what the guys posted two weeks ago on their Facebook page:

“Today has been one of the many productive days on the road to achieving our goal of reopening Marigold Kitchen. For the past three months we have been working tirelessly to make our dream a reality. Marigold Kitchen will be reopening on the 25th of September. Our new menu harkens back to the days of Chef Robert Halpern and also looks to the future, showcasing the creativity of the new chefs at the helm. We look forward to having you at our table.”

Marigold Kitchen will remain a BYOB restaurant, offering avant-garde New American tasting menus. The restaurant will be open on Tuesdays-Saturdays, 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. (closed on Sundays & Mondays).

For more information and to make a reservation, visit: www.marigoldkitchenbyob.com.

2nd Fall Pétanque Doubles Tournament will take place at Clark Park this Saturday.

There are tons of great events, many of them free, happening in West Philly this weekend, including free workshops, a children’s sale, charitable runs/walks, and a fall festival. Check out the list below and enjoy the beautiful early fall weather. For more upcoming events or if you want to submit an event, visit our Events Calendar.

Thursday, Sept 18

Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll – Baltimore Avenue between 43rd and 51st Streets, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Enjoy $1 items from over 30 neighborhood businesses.

Friday, Sept 19

Wine and Cheese Pre-Sale (West Philly Grows Again Kids Consignment Sale) – St. Mary’s Nursery School (3916 Locust Walk), 9-10 p.m.

Saturday, Sept 20

Cobbs Creek 5K Run/Walk – Cobbs Creek Park (63rd and Locust), 9 a.m. (registration begins at 8 a.m.). All funds raised from this event will go to support outdoor recreational activities within Cobbs Creek Park for children and youth. $20 (adults), $10 (youth), free for children (12 and under).

West Philly Grows Again Kids Consignment Sale – St. Mary’s Nursery School (3916 Locust Walk), 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Shop for high-quality clothing items and toys for many different ages and stages at affordable prices.

Free Digital Photography Workshop (Free) – University of the Sciences (42nd and Woodland), 10 a.m. USciences photography professor James Hayden offers a free two-hour photography workshop on “Creative Compositions.” Bring your own camera.

Pétanque Tournament – Clark Park “A” (43rd and Baltimore), 10 a.m. 2nd Annual Fall Doubles tournament. (Here‘s our last year’s story about Pétanque in West Philly).

The Woodlands Wobble 5K – The Woodland Cemetery (40th and Woodland), 10 a.m. All proceeds from this run will support trail maintenance for the running paths inside the site. $25.

Poetry Writing Workshop (Free) – University of the Sciences (42nd and Woodland), 10 a.m. USciences poetry professor Warren Hope offers a two-hour introductory poetry workshop. Bring pen and paper.

Clark Park Music & Arts Equinox Festival – Clark Park “B” (43rd and Chester), Noon-Sundown. The festival includes children’s events and activities, arts and crafts, vending, and a great diversity of performances, including all kinds of music, dance and theater.

Photo courtesy of University City District.

The summer’s second and last Dollar Stroll is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 18 along Baltimore Avenue between 43rd and 51st Streets from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. As always, dozens of area businesses will be offering $1 items, from all kinds of food, ice cream and beers to special memberships and tickets. In addition to $1 food and drinks, the September Dollar Stroll will feature live entertainment including jugglers, fire artists and music from Y-Not Radio at the 46th Street Triangle.

Check out the list below of participating businesses and organizations and their offers.

Green Line Cafe
4239 Baltimore Avenue
Hebrew National hot dogs & carrot dogs

Friends of Clark Park
43rd and Baltimore Avenue
Clark Park Frisbees & keychains

Milk & Honey Market
4435 Baltimore Avenue
Bassets ice cream bars  Continue Reading

Update (8/21/14): Due to the weather forecast for Thursday night, Bat Night at the Woodlands has been canceled.

Here’s our roundup of outdoor events in the area where you can enjoy this nice August weather and food and drinks with your friends, listen to some great music and even learn a thing or two about nature:

Wednesday, Aug 20

Penn Museum’s Summer Nights Concert Series presents Brazilian duo Minas

Penn Museum, 3260 South St, 5:00 p.m.

Celebrating 30 years since moving from Rio de Janeiro to the Philadelphia area, Minas’s innovative yet timeless sound blends folk, blues, jazz, scat, and samba, with a unique combination of Brazilian and American roots. The concert will take place in the museum’s Stoner Courtyard. $10.

Thursday, Aug 21

Dîner En Sweatpants

Clark Park “A”, 43rd and Baltimore,  5:30-8:30 p.m.

Ticketleap invites folks to a silly, FREE event this Thursday in Clark Park. Bring your picnic blankets and baskets or buy some delicious food from the food trucks after the regular Thursday Farmer’s Market! http://events.ticketleap.com/diner/

Bat Night at the Woodlands

The Woodlands Cemetery, 40th and Woodland, 6:00 p.m.

Bring some dinner and your flashlight on Thursday from 6-9 p.m. for a rare chance to spend the evening in the Cemetery after dark and see the resident bats! Also, take a walk with a bat expert and learn about special plants that will attract bats to your garden. This is a free event and sweet treats from Lil’ Pop Shop will be available for sale.

Saturday, Aug 23

Outdoor Concert feat. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah w/ Illinois, and Mo Lowda and the Humble

City Tap House, 39th and Walnut, 3:00-8:00 p.m.

City Tap House is joining forces with the booking and production team from The Blockley and Brooklyn Brewing Company to throw a couple of August, Saturday afternoon concerts on their beautiful outdoor patio space. The first concert, on Aug 23, features local indie rockers Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, led by longtime frontman Alec Ounsworth. They’ll be sharing the stage with Illinois, also Philly-based rockers. Mo Lowda and the Humble, one of the city‘s finest up-and-coming groups, will open the show at 3:30 p.m. $15. 21+. Tickets are available here.