A conceptual drawing of what The Cedar Works will look like when finished.

The Cedar Works, an empty warehouse at 4919 Pentridge Street, just south of Baltimore Avenue, is undergoing a major overhaul. The 15,000 square foot property, which dates back to 1910, is being converted into community-oriented work and meeting space. One of the property owners and project managers, Andy Peifer, is a long-time Cedar Park resident who lives just around the corner from the building. The project is planned to be completed by the end of this year.

Here’s what The Cedar Works looks like now.

The building has an interesting history, from being a home to a garage to a roller skating rink to an electrical equipment manufacturer. Peifer was told that at one point it was a Studebaker automobile dealership. Iron Men, Inc., a metalworking shop, was the last occupant.

When finished, the main area of The Cedar Works will include 15 to 20 artist workspaces and professional offices, ranging from 300 to 1600 sq. feet. The building will also have a community meeting space, a multi-use room for meetings, workshops, and other activities. The common area of the building will be fitted with couches, a full kitchen and bathrooms and will have access to a landscaped outdoor garden patio.

Studios cost $1/sq. foot per month and the lease allows for up to two primary users who have full access to the building. Any additional primary users will cost an additional $50/month.

To get acquainted with this project, Andy and his partner Linford Martin are inviting neighbors and friends for a Mid-Construction Preview Party on Saturday, Oct. 20, from 4 to 8 p.m. (or later). If you are interested in becoming a future tenant at The Cedar Works, you are welcome to submit an online application. For more information about The Cedar Works visit their website.

The interior space of The Cedar Works, a former warehouse, is currently undergoing renovation.

Over the summer we wrote about the Future of Cedar Park survey distributed in the neighborhood by the Cedar Park Neighbors association. If you live or own a business in Cedar Park and haven’t participated in the survey yet, you are encouraged to do it this week. The deadline is Friday, Oct. 12, 5 p.m.

Neighbors’ input on the future of the neighborhood is very helpful as a committee of Cedar Park Neighbors board members is preparing for an important meeting with the Philadelphia City Planning Commission which will be convening a steering committee to create a new plan for Southwest Philadelphia and University City.

“Already, we’ve heard from 400 Cedar Park Neighbors about what they want for their community. If you haven’t responded yet, please do so today. It only takes a couple minutes and we want to make sure your voice is heard!” wrote Cedar Park Neighbors president Michael Froehlich in an email.

To access the survey online, please follow this link.

Neighbors are invited to join a walk against gun violence and vigil for gun murder victims tonight, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Cedar Park section of West Philly. There will be two walk starting points – at gun homicide sites at 1100 S. Ruby Street and at the intersection of S. 52nd and Warrington Streets. The two walks will join together at Cedar Park (50th and Baltimore) in the vigil where luminaries for all gun murders to this date in Philadelphia will be lighted. There have been over 250 murders in the city this year.

The event is organized by Heeding God’s Call, a faith-based movement to prevent gun violence, and by Neighborhood Partners to End Gun Violence as part of Peace Day Philly. For more information email: info@heedinggodscall.org or call 856-371-3038.

PAWS Clinic is organizing a community Pet Day tomorrow at Cedar Park, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Low-cost shots and microchips will be available. See the flyer below for more information.

Great news from Cedar Park: thanks to contributions from the community, Friday Night Jazz Series in Cedar Park has been extended for at least two more weeks. This Friday, July 20, Perseverance Jazz Band will perform and on July 27 Shirley Lites and Company will bring funk/jazz/R&B vibes to the park. Both performances begin at 6 p.m.

If you would like to support Friday Night Jazz Series, you can make a contribution on this page.

Do you live or own a business in Cedar Park? If so, your feedback is needed to help shape the future of this quickly changing neighborhood. The Cedar Park Neighbors community association has developed “The Future of Cedar Park” survey which will help them gather useful information as the Philadelphia City Planning Commission had asked community organizations to provide input on its new plan for Southwest Philadelphia and University City.

Although, it’s an exciting time for the neighborhood, with many new residents moving to Cedar Park and new businesses opening, there are also issues generated by this change, including affordability, land use, education, parking and others. This survey will help CPN figure out how to “best represent the interests of all neighbors.”

The survey can be found here. In addition to the online survey, a print version is being distributed through block captains, so feel free to pass this information along to your neighbors who do not have internet access.

As a reminder, here are the Cedar Park boundaries: Larchwood Avenue to Kingsessing Avenue and 46th Street to 52nd Street (see map below). For more information, visit www.cedarparkneighbors.org.