Joe Shapiro poses at The Hamilton Mansion at the Woodlands. Photo by Neal Santos.
A walk around West Philadelphia reveals Joe Shapiro’s handiwork. He built the wooden kiosks in Clark Park, the garden beds at the Walnut Hill Community Farm, the interpretive signs at the Woodlands. He planted trees along the Schuylkill River and
Long, snowy winters are nothing new to Philadelphians, but this season’s accumulation did some serious damage, counting among its victims the beloved Channel 6 ZooBalloon. The first attraction of its kind, the ZooBalloon carried riders 400 feet above the nation’s first zoo, providing for sweeping views of the Schuylkill River, Fairmount Park and the Philadelphia
More1 min read
Amid the hum of sewing machines and chatter of their operators, in a space nestled away from the sidewalk in Old City, a small-scale production movement is taking on steam. MADE Studios is a workshop, school and collaborative space where emerging and advanced designers can give shape and texture to their dreams. Young fashionistas come
More6 mins read
Along with offering art classes for adults, Queen Village Art Center also provides a bevy of classes to teach the little ones to think outside the box.With four studios outfitted for sculpture, ceramics, painting, and more, Queen Village Art Center is a wonderland of art-making. The hallways double as gallery spaces, showing off students’ work.
More1 min read
The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia shares bicycling skills with area youths, like these Girl Scouts.
The Bicycle Coalition recently announced that they have combined forces with the Cadence Cycling Foundation (CCF).
1 min read
John Boyce has made it his mission to revitalize Gorgas Park.
If it weren’t for people like Roxborough native and Gorgas Park champion John Boyce, things wouldn’t get done. So says David Bower, the volunteer coordinator of Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, who has known Boyce for more than 20 years. “They say the squeaky wheel gets
1 min read
photo by Ben LeechA driving snowstorm was no deterrent for the Friends of the Boyd, who held a rally to save the Boyd Theatre on December 10, 2013. The Boyd, designed by the Hoffman-Henon firm, which specialized in theaters, opened in 1928 as one of Philadelphia's art deco movie palaces.
More1 min read
JASTECH development services executive director Jerome Shabazz (right), with Penn State Extension Nutrition Educator Simran James
Pacing through the crowd of people sampling vegan dishes and checking out booths from groups like Philadelphia Backyard Chickens, Healthy Foods, Green Spaces and Eastwick Friends and Neighbors Coalition, Jerome Shabazz seems both busy and content. It’s a festival day
2 mins read
This January, Green Woods Charter School, an environmentally-focused K-8 public school, will move from two former parish schools in Manayunk to a new 60,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility at Ridge Avenue and Domino Lane in Roxborough. Innovative features like 12-foot windows, transparent walls, an observation deck and a third floor balcony — together with a three-acre site
More1 min read
With 40,000 vacant lots within its boundaries, Philadelphia knows a lot about the problems and the potential of vacant properties. In September, the city played host to the Center for Community Progress’s (CCP) fifth Reclaiming Vacant Properties (RVP) conference, three days of interactive panel sessions, walking tours of Philadelphia neighborhoods and plenty of networking and
More1 min read