You can participate in building some of Spiral Q’s extraordinary puppets right here in Malcolm X Park, under the gazebo from 3-7pm on Fridays through October 3rd. This “community build” is open to children and adults! This year’s Peoplehood Pageant will be October 18th. Find out more at Spiral Q Puppet Theater:
PEOPLEHOOD COMMUNITY BUILDS Put your creative minds in gear! Join us at our Community Peoplehood Builds around town. Peoplehood Community Builds are free and open to the public! Drop in at these sites around West Philadelphia to help build puppets, masks, flags, and banners for the big day. All ages are welcome, but children must be accompanied by an adult. Call Spiral Q at 215.222.6979 for details on what each site is up to!
Malcolm X Park (51st and Pine)
Fridays 4-7PM
Clark Park (43rd and Baltimore)
Saturdays 12-4PM
Spiral Q Puppet Theater (3114 Spring Garden St.)
Saturdays 12-5PM
The Paul Robeson House (4951 Walnut St.)
Thurs. 9/18 from 4-7PM and Sat. 9/20, 9/27, 10/4 12-4PM
Pearl & Contestoga CommunityGarden (near 55th and Haverford)
Sundays from 4-7PM
PAGEANT REHEARSALS Join us at rehearsals to be a performer in the pageant!
(No previous involvement required)
Saturday October 11th
11-4PM at Clark Park
Sunday October 12th
11-4PM at Clark Park
Next Peoplehood Team Meetings – Wed Sept. 24th and Oct. 1st at 6:30PM
Want to be part of the Peoplehood team? From collecting recycled materials to assisting at public puppet and theater workshops, from directing our Peoplehood Band to coordinating volunteers, from rallying community support to acting as pageant stage manager there are so many roles to fill. Drop production manager Liza a line at lizago@spiralq.org and let her know what you like to do and how much time you’d like to spend doing it, then join us as a member of the Peoplehood team for a meeting at Spiral Q on Wednesday September 3rd at 6:30p. Please contact us before attending the meeting so we can plan accordingly.
Don’t have any idea what they’re talking about? This’ll give you some idea:
Back in March, the large apartment building at the corner of Pine and 52nd on Malcolm X Park suffered a fire on its top floor, relocating several long-time residents. Here’s what it looked like after board-up:
Here’s an updated photo of the work being done on the place:
Disclaimer: I am not a Realtor, a real estate expert of any kind, an investment counselor, a wealthy speculator, a success guru, a motivational speaker, or even a very competent homeowner. Do not treat any post on this site as an endorsement. I get no compensation for this, nor do I want any. Accuracy is NOT guaranteed in any way. I do own my house on Malcolm X Park, and I occasionally have one apartment in it available for rent. Consider that bias before evaluating my commentary.
It’s been some months since our last real-estate posting, so there are a few new faces here. Properties listed for sale or rent are pulled primarily from prufoxroach.com or Craigslist and are only listed if they are directly on the park or within about half a block or so. If you know of a house for sale or apartment for rent adjacent to Malcolm X Park that does not appear here, feel free to add it in the comments below. (Descriptions below are all as cited.)
The Beaumont Initiative is an all-volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to rehabbing (and selling at cost) a stand of three houses in the 5000 block of Beaumont Ave. In December, they organized a volunteer work-day and seemed poised to begin the substance of the project in 2008. Then L&I showed up:
In October 2007 the rear wall of 5017 partially collapsed. When L&I inspected the collapse, TBI informed them of the rehab project. L&I acknowledged this and said they would not request demolition, adding, “Good luck with the project.”
In December, however, the owner of 5021 felt her home was in imminent danger because she heard sounds of 5019 deteriorating. She and other neighbors (appropriately) contacted the Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell’s office with their concern. At that point the Councilwoman’s office contacted L&I and asked them to inspect 5019.
L&I ordered immediate demolition, not only of 5019, but of all three properties. They sent TBI a “five day” demolition warning dated Dec 17th, but work actually began on the 18th; and by the time TBI received the letter demolition was well underway.
While it is great that L&I and the Councilwoman’s office were so responsive to one homeowner’s understandable concern, it’s a terrible shame to see an energetic grass-roots low-income housing effort undermined by what appears to have been a bureaucratic snafu in the demolition of the additional two houses. I hope they’re able to recover from these losses and continue the mission.
I’m starting to see this A-frame sign around the neighborhood:
Here’s a detail:
I suppose there are opportunists like this in any market, but it still seems strange (not to mention a little icky) to see this aggressive a pitch when prices are stagnating or even dropping in the more conventional market.
A For Sale By Owner sign is stapled to this commercial property in the 300 block of S. 52nd St. The underside of the bay window has rotted away, and blue sky is visible through the roof from the street.
Back in about 2003, I took a heartbreaking tour of this house with the brother of a man who had been squatting in it and had finally succumbed to a drug addiction. The brothers had grown up in the house, and now it was virtually destroyed. Books they’d enjoyed as children, clothes that had been handed down, family photos, all were piled haphazardly on rotting carpet amid more recent trash and filth. The man who showed me the place was trying to sell it before it went to sheriff’s auction, but he was unsuccessful. Reportedly, when the house finally came to auction, there was a fierce bidding war, and the current owners came away with it, beginning their clean-out shortly thereafter. They were merciless with the Victorian features of the old place, and I got an easily-restorable 8 foot tall vestibule door with intact beveled glass out of the deal. (Okay, out of the dumpster, actually.) Renovations since have been painstaking and thorough, and though I haven’t peeked inside since last Fall or so, from the description it sounds nice and, well, “new:”
A Lovely Gorgeous home waiting for you!!!!!!!!Totally renovated from top to bottom. Brand new kitchen with all new appliances with warranty on the appliances,Brand new powder room on first floor,all new carpet,new sheetrock walls,new ceiling.The stairs take you to the second floor with two master bedrooms with attached huge new bathrooms.On third floor there are three bedrooms with a central brand new bathroom.A huge big basement with brand new heater,all new plumbing, all new electricals,new hot water heater and two brand new AC units.the basement stairs take you to the nice size back yard to sit and relax.Also the house has such a location that the kids can enjoy themselves in the park which is right infront of the house .So dont miss the oppurtunity of viewing this lovely home,Wont last long so hurry!!!!!!!
Times are tough all over in the real-estate market, and things have slowed considerably in the Malcolm X Park neighborhood over the last year. As the Realtors euphemistically put it, there’s plenty of ‘inventory.’ One house on Pine St. seems to be a kind of leading edge of the downturn, emblematic of the late exuberance that left many inexperienced investors in over their heads.
I first noted 5131 Pine St. back in July, when it was listed for sale at $370,000 in an advertisement shot through with, to put it charitably, misrepresentations. A search for “51st” on Craigslist under real estate tells the tale. On August 3rd, the building was listed at an even $320,000, but by August 10th, it had been “REDUCDED for quick sale from $370,000 to $339,900.” [sic] Finally, on August 30th, this showed up:
I took out hard money to rehab this tri-plex but can’t afford the monthly payments. Totally rehabbed throughout including granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances. Any offer concidered 267-972-2874
Hallwatch.org indicates a sales price of $165,000 from January 2007, but that is presumably before the various improvements. You can see a slideshow of the property here.
