After six years of uncertainty and false starts, it seems that the 40th Street Methodist Episcopal Church will finally undergo demolition to make way for 7,000-square-feet of retail space—or so the Daily Pennsylvanian reports.

Photo by Annamarya Scaccia/West Philly Local.

According to the DP, construction on the former house of worship, which stood at 125 S. 40th Street for 136 years, is expected to be complete by April 2014, but the developers, P&A Associates, have yet to release a specific work timeline. A search on Philadelphia License & Inspections site, though, does return multiple hits for the church address, one being a new construction permit that was issued in June to architectural firm Albert Taus & Associates and contractor Joe Freidman Construction Corp. If finished by next spring, the humble Romanesque-style two-story church—a gaping shell of its prior appeal—will become home to Dunkin Donuts, Whirled Peace Frozen Yogurt, Zesto Pizza and a fourth yet-to-be-identified commercial space.

Designed by leading mid-nineteenth century architects Samuel Sloan and Addison Hutton, the 40th Street Methodist Episcopal Church was home to three congregations before it was sold to P&A for $2 million in 2007. The previous owners, St. Joseph’s Baptist Congregation, worshipped in the village sanctuary for 50 years until it moved to a larger space six years ago, according to Hidden City Philadelphia. Prior to St. Joseph’s, it served First Church of the Covenanters from 1908 to 1954, which took over the church from Centennial Methodist Episcopal—the budding congregation that originally purchased the land in 1860 and erected Methodist Episcopal in 1871. Continue Reading

A bunch of exciting events and happenings are taking place in our neck of the woods this upcoming weekend and here are some highlights. For more upcoming events, or if you want to submit an event, visit the Events Calendar.

Thursday, Sept 26

• Harvest Moon Social – 6:00 p.m. – The Woodlands (40th & Woodland) – UC Green, a non-profit organization that plants trees an maintains public gardens in West Philly, is celebrating 15 years of serving the community. Harvest Moon Social is a cocktail reception and a dinner fundraiser. Tickets are still available. For more information and to purchase tickets ($75), visit the event’s Facebook page.

• PSA-feat. Dead Prez – 9:00 p.m. – The Blockley (38th & Chestnut) – Hip-hop duo Dead Prez is visiting West Philly this Thursday to be part of the PSA, a continuing branded series of events at The Blockley. The concerts are intended to double as a social awareness effort, dedicated to educating people on the problems and plight of U.S.-held political prisoners, mass incarceration and solitary confinement. Tickets ($25) can be purchased here.

Friday, Sept 27

• Curio Benefit Night – 8:00 p.m. – St. Francis De Sales School Banquet Room (917 S. 47th St) – This Friday you can support Curio Theatre and enjoy a wonderful night of fun and entertainment. Admission ($50 per person) includes food, drinks (wine, beer and a special Wild West cocktail, live music, raffle and prizes. One of the benefit show highlights is the Best of the West (Philly) Talent Smackdown. To buy tickets, visit: http://www.curiotheatre.org/2013-benefit-night.html  Continue Reading

At the corner of Lancaster and 38th, the curved facade of Hawthorne Hall stands just as it did 100 years ago when fraternal organizations and civic associations were its main occupants. But inside is a whole different story: cabinets have been transformed into doorways, attics into twisted dining halls, dust-covered rooms into art galleries.

This makeover is the work of the Rabid Hands Art Collective, which transformed the space into an art exhibit celebrating the building’s mysterious history for the 2013 Hidden City Festival.

Last weekend, the nonprofit news site Hidden City returned to Hawthorne Hall for a guided tour of the Powelton area. Powelton–bordered roughly by Lancaster Ave., Haverford, Race and 32nd Streets– is a mix of student housing and large Victorian mansions and duplexes.

Photos by Alex Vuocolo.

As tour guides Rachel Hildebrandt and Caroline Acheatel explained, Powelton was once home to a class of entrepreneurs and business managers from the mid-1800s that were excelling in new industrial fields. These individuals spread into West Philadelphia as railways and bridges were built across the Schuylkill River and the area’s large agricultural estates were subdivided into neighborhoods.

But Powelton is more than frat houses and old mansions. Hildebrandt and Acheatel, both employees at Partners for Sacred Places, guided the tour through a mix of inconspicuous cultural landmarks and historical buildings, including backyard museums, the building where Alfred Barnes (of The Barnes Foundation fame) built his fortune in pharmaceuticals, and a church adapted for affordable apartments.

The tour’s strong suit was that it explored the interiors and unknown histories of places many of us pass by everyday.

The Ellen Powell Tiberino Memorial Museum, for example, is just off Hamilton and 38th on a quiet stretch of residential homes. Without venturing down the museum’s alley entrance, you might never know that a courtyard formed from connected backyards contained original art from two generations of the Tiberino family.

The Cloisters, a church converted into apartments at Spring Garden and 38th, is equally discreet. Besides a large banner reading “now renting,” there is little to suggest that within its stone walls there are over 64 units of affordable housing.

To discover more of Philadelphia’s past, keep an eye out for Hidden City tours around the city.

– Alex Vuocolo

Unfortunately, there has been another breaking and entering incident near 50th street. We reported yesterday about the home invasion on 50th street between Walnut and Locust (read more here), when three armed men wearing masks broke into a home on Tuesday early morning, tied up four people – a man and three women – and stole cash, computers and a car.

A West Philly Local reader reports that her house located on Cedar Avenue between 50th and 51st streets was broken into on Monday night, sometime before midnight, when no one was home. She says that windows were opened with a crowbar and the whole house was ransacked – the thief went through everyone’s drawers and closets.

Two bikes (a green trek hybrid with cruiser handlebars, and a no name road bike with gold and leopard paint) and two computers were stolen (one desktop iMac, one white PowerBook).

According to police, this burglary and the home invasion, which was a targeted attack, are not related.

The Garden Court Community Association (GCCA) has been busy this month organizing events to help local residents learn more about the neighborhood and boost their sense of community. West Philly Local wrote about “Farm to Ford” historical walking tours of Garden Court neighborhood that kicked off last Saturday. Three more tours ($5 each!) are coming up – on October 5, 12 and 19 – and to sign up, email: GCCAtour@gmail.com.

This Saturday, Sept. 28, community members are welcome to Progressive Dinner 2013. Join your neighbors for a night of appetizers, dinner, dessert and dancing, to raise funds for various community projects in the Garden Court neighborhood. The event schedule is:

5:30 p.m. – Registration at 4603 Cedar Avenue
5:45 p.m. – Appetizers at 4601 Cedar Avenue
7:00 p.m. – Entrees for 10-20 people at various locations in the Garden Court neighborhood
8:30 p.m. – Desserts and Dancing at Take the Lead Dance Studio (47th & Pine)

Member cost is $35/person ($40 for non-members). To register contact Mary-Knight Young at 267-521-9303 or maryknightbell@gmail.com. For more information contact Maria Delgado at 215-748-5476.

Police are currently searching for three men who broke into a home on the 200 block of South 50th Street this morning. ABC6 is reporting that the masked men who were armed with guns broke into the home around 4:30 a.m., tied up its residents – a man and three women all in their 20’s –  and stole cash, computers and car keys before making their getaway in a stolen Nissan Altima with Nevada plates.

Police say the men broke in through a basement window. West Philly Local readers reported helicopters circling around the area this morning.

“They forcefully grabbed their hands, tied them up, one handcuffed, tied with a belt, duct tape,” Philadelphia Police Captain George Fuchs told ABC6. “Obviously the victims are very traumatized.”

UPDATE (2:30 p.m.): A police source familiar with the investigation said it was “not a random act.” The investigation continues.