Southstar Lofts

Southstar Lofts at Broad and South is nearing completion and it looks okay. In fact, okay is exactly how it looks.

It's not a head turner, but it may be a turning point in one of Philadelphia's most passionate developer's portfolio. Despite harsh criticism for Carl Dranoff's ambitious Symphony House and 777 South Broad, he probably won't hear a lot about Southstar. For one thing, it's too simple and bland to really warrant critique, but he also transformed a troublesome corner, a community "garden" on a prime corner that many in the community didn't want.

It's unfortunate that Southstar didn't bring the same edgy design as its neighbor, 1352 Lofts, but once it opens with panoramic views of the Avenue of the Arts, Dranoff is set to bring his A-game with the SLS Hotel on the site of Philadelphia International Records.

Southstar Lofts helps fill South Broad's patchwork of vacant lots and suburban chains, carrying passengers towards 777 South Broad. If Bart Blatstein finally transforms the massive lot at Broad and Washington, we may finally see a cohesive stretch of urbanism connecting Center City and South Philadelphia.

Southstar Lofts

After years of contentious - and ridiculous - arguments over a prime piece of real estate at South and Broad, Dranoff's Southstar Lofts appears to becoming a reality.

For decades, the Garden of the Arts occupied the northeast corner of the intersection, overgrown with weeds, inaccessible to the public, and loosely controlled by unnamed neighbors who waged an online war to preserve this little bit of Old Philadelphia nonsense.

Reason finally won out.

It may not be the most exciting design, particularly for such a prominent corner, but it's friendly relationship with the street will mark a vast improvement over its predecessor.

At its worst, Southstar is a generic condo building, supplemental infill, complementing the award winning theaters sharing its street. At best it will increase the value of South Broad's many parking lots, meadows, and suburbanized strip malls, fostering the density that should occupy our city's core, sending a message to developers that South Broad is ready for more life.