Poplar lies between Spring Garden Street & Girard Avenue and Broad & 5th Streets. Sandwiched between Fairmount and Northern Liberties, it’s no wonder why this neighborhood has experienced a surge in popularity.
As a way to recover from the Depression of the 1930s, the Richard Allen Homes, a large public housing project, provided new housing workers involved with wartime production. These homes defined the area, but were sadly left neglected in the 70s, making way to deterioration and crime. In 2001, the Philadelphia Housing Authority demolished the neglected housing projects and began erecting suburban style homes in the area.
Poplar has experienced a revival, most notably with the massive renovation of the famous landmark, the Divine Lorraine Hotel at the corner of Broad Street & Fairmount Ave. Once a symbol of blight, the Divine Lorraine is now the site of a $44 Million restoration completed in 2016 that created 121 apartments, 20,000 square feet of restaurants and retail space, a speak easy, a fitness center, and resident lounge.
Other developers have begun new renovation projects since the rumors of improving North Broad first hit the streets. Certainly an area for budding home owners to keep in mind if proximity to Center City and affordability are must-haves on the list.
Take a look at some prospective development projects here: www.planphilly.com/neighborhoods/west-poplar
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