Market Street

Philadelphia's Department of Licenses and Inspections issued three citations Wednesday against a building in the 700 block of Market Street owned by Yechiel, Nahman, and Michael Lichtenstein, who also owned the Kensington building that burned last week, killing two firefighters. An L&I spokeswoman said the fire had prompted a review of all Lichtenstein properties, leading to the new citations on Market Street, which included operating a multifamily dwelling without a housing-inspection license, failure to keep fire-alarm testing records and certificates on site, and improper maintenance of the facade.

THE CITY Department of Licenses & Inspection issued three citations Wednesday against a building on Market Street near 7th owned by Yechiel, Nahman and Michael Lichtenstein, who also owned the Kensington building that burned last week, killing two firefighters. An L&I spokeswoman said the fire prompted a review of all Lichtenstein properties, leading to the new citations on Market Street, which included operating a multifamily dwelling without a housing-inspection license, failing to keep fire-alarm-testing records and certificates on site, and improperly maintaining the facade.

A couple of hundred Occupy Philly protesters marched from City Hall to the Market Street Bridge Thursday afternoon as part of the national "day of action" movement. As of 5:45 p.m., about 30 protesters were sitting on the bridge over the Schuylkill River refusing to move. Police are giving them a series of three verbal warnings and then plan to start making arrests, said Chief Inspector Joe Sullivan. "We'll make it a painless process for everyone," he said. Organizers said they chose the bridge because it's on the state's list of structurally deficient bridges in need of repair.

Market Street between 16th and 17th Streets will be closed between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. today for a Philadelphia Soul Football practice session. Traffic will be allowed to cross Market Street at 16th and 17th streets, but police say motorists should expect backups and delays in the area.

THE OTHER day, I decided to take Market Street (the west end) to go see my mom. From 45th to 63rd streets, it's horrendous! I've been to many cities across America, but NOTHING compares to the horrible conditions of Market Street. Rep. Chaka Fattah, Mayor Nutter and Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, three West Philadelphia natives, should be ashamed to usher anyone into the West Philadelphia corridor via Market Street. Totally disgraceful! As I drove through the rough terrain approaching 46th, I wasn't sure if I just entered a Sega Rally off-road race!

Snow squalls are in the forecast for Collingswood's business district through Christmas Eve, creating a winter wonderland for shoppers and diners. "It's very Bedford Falls," borough spokeswoman Cassandra Duffey said. Facing tough competition from malls and chain stores, Main Streets from Collingswood to Doylestown are working hard this year to market themselves to shoppers on limited budgets. Merchants are working together on discounts, sponsoring giveaways, and revamping traditions.

At a packed monthly meeting yesterday, the Philadelphia City Planning Commission got polar reactions on two initiatives that would significantly shape the urban landscape. A dozen residents testified in favor of the city's new vision for the Delaware River waterfront, created after a year of public meetings led by urban consultants from the University of Pennsylvania. Only two people spoke out against the plan - a lawyer representing developers and an individual who lives on the waterfront.

Motorists are having to dig a little deeper to park their vehicles in Center City, and they haven't seen the last of it. Parking meter rates have gone up along a three-block area of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and regulated parking hours are being extended three blocks at a time in Center City from Market Street south to Walnut Street, Philadelphia Parking Authority officials said yesterday. Parking Authority officials say that the extended hours and rate increases are being implemented because of the increasing popularity of these areas of the city.

The Market Street subway-elevated line turns 100 years old on Sunday, and riders get the birthday gift: free trips for the afternoon. The birth of the Market Street Line, which allowed passengers to travel easily from 69th Street to the Delaware River, linked Center City to burgeoning new development in West Philadelphia. And it helped spawn more growth west of the Schuylkill, as 69th Street Terminal sprouted in the midst of cow pastures. Philadelphia's oldest high-speed line - which has since grown into the Market-Frankford Subway-Elevated - emerged at the dawn of intraurban rail travel, coming just a decade after the last horse-drawn car finally left the streets, following the rise of cable cars and electric trolleys.

The Science Center in University City will have a ceremonial groundbreaking today on a 400,000-square-foot building, the first in a planned $600 million expansion. The glass-and-brick structure at 3711 Market St. will include 150,000 square feet of laboratory and office space, as well as shops on the first floor and parking for 500 vehicles. The $80 million, 10-story building is one of five new buildings in a plan to add 1.8 million square feet of offices, labs, housing, parking, and a hotel and conference center along Market Street near Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania.