March 21–28, 2002
13th Street Trust Fund
Developer Tony Goldman will keep a little old in his new plans for 13th Street.
TRUSTUS: Craig Grossman of Goldman Properties standing
proud in front of the development’s first new restaurant.
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ARCHIVES .
March 21–28, 2002 13th Street Trust FundDeveloper Tony Goldman will keep a little old in his new plans for 13th Street. TRUSTUS: Craig Grossman of Goldman Properties standing
When Goldman blew into Philadelphia three years ago with promises to completely transform 13th Street, many were skeptical because of the strip’s long history as a red-light district. But Goldman thought the development of the Pennsylvania Convention Center and the Avenue of the Arts in the 1990s made 13th Street an obvious place for revitalization. "It was the hole in the doughnut," explains Goldman. The areas all around it were buzzing with activity at all hours — office workers by day and hotel guests and theater-goers by night — but pedestrians were avoiding 13th Street. With retail geared toward the upscale crowds, Goldman thought that could change. With his previous successes in New York’s Soho neighborhood and in Miami Beach, Goldman thought Philadelphia was worth the gamble. While he admits that 13th Street’s architecture is not Philly’s finest and hardly a rival to the cast-iron buildings of Soho or Miami Beach’s art deco district, it has the "pedestrian scale" streets, alleys and buildings that make Philadelphia a potentially pleasant place to stroll. Three years after Goldman’s purchase of nearly every property in the area, the main signs of change are the ubiquitous scaffolding and the historic buildings workers have renovated and scrubbed clean. Only a couple of retail tenants have moved in — the Scarlett boutique and the restaurant Trust — but the pair exemplifies what Goldman hopes to bring to town. Goldman says the restaurant, which opened in late February and features pan-Mediterranean cuisine and a tapas bar, "fills a void in the market [by offering] a middle-priced product [that can bring in] a cross-section of humanity." Starving artists can feast on $3 tapas while businessmen gorge themselves on course after course. Scarlett, a boutique pushing hard-to-get beauty products and set amid exposed brick and air ducts, is what Goldman and company want to see in a store. Most area tenants are pleased with the development that’s taking place. Bill Wood owns the nearby Woody’s, a gay club that’s been in the neighborhood for more than two decades. He summed up his reaction to Goldman’s development in two words: "Thank God." Wood figures that the more nightlife Goldman can add to the street, the better. "Getting people on the street that aren’t criminals is a positive step," he says. That Trust caters to all orientations is fine with Wood. "Go into any place in Center City that’s opened at night and you’ll see gay people. After they have dinner, maybe they’ll go out for a drink," he says. Larry Robin, owner and manager of Robin’s Bookstore, which has been on 13th Street since 1981, says he’s "80 percent enthusiastic" — high praise for a real estate developer coming from the bearded, leftist bookstore owner. Robin says he couldn’t get over the top-notch preservation work he’s observed from the window of his second-floor office. Robin understands Goldman’s plans to upscale the neighborhood and acknowledges that he’s "a little worried about it," fearing that it could make his section of Center City less diverse. But the bookstore owner is only mildly concerned because from his experience, downtowns tend to keep their diversity. Robin sees a place for all kinds of retail on the 13th Street. "I don’t want to see the porno shop close, [but] I’m glad there’s an upscale restaurant on the block," he says. "If I wanted to be in a lily-white, upper-class neighborhood, I’d be in the suburbs." Goldman doesn’t deny that some of the existing tenants aren’t exactly what he’s looking for. As the new landlord, Goldman Properties has to honor existing leases, but the company is making the changes it is entitled to make. Sansom Cinemas, the gay porn theater, will lose its marquee. "People know what goes on in there," says Grossman, who wants to achieve a "cleaner, more sophisticated look." Goldman sums it up this way: "What happens inside is your business, what happens outside is my business." The cinema’s management would not comment. Neither would management at the other porn establishments on the block. Currency One, the check-cashing business at the intersection, has also been a thorn in Goldman’s side. As an effort to remove the business over an alleged zoning violation makes its way through the courts, Goldman Properties is insisting on new, toned-down signs. Jim Lubiejewski, who manages the 13th Street Currency One, says most of Goldman’s changes are "good for the block," but he doesn’t think the landlord’s adversarial relationship is warranted. "There are worse things than us on the block," says Lubiejewski. Even Zio’s pizzeria, with its standard red, white and green facade, is getting a makeover. Goldman’s Philadelphia public relations manager Corie Cutler explained the vision: "It will be a chic little pizza place. I’m sure he’ll raise his pizza prices," she said. An Italian-born manager who refused to give his name said he was happy to comply with the new landlord’s requests, but wasn’t sure what was so upscale about selling pizza. Down the block from Zio’s, the first residential units are scheduled to hit the market this summer. Given Goldman’s Soho style, the full-floor lofts above Currency One should certainly be luxurious. But will people who could afford to live anywhere choose to live above a check-cashing operation? Will they buy into Tony Goldman’s philosophy of urban life that "the city is about beauty and grit"? Apparently some people already are. Craig Grossman claims he’s noticed a little overlap between the clientele at the porn theater and the clientele at Trust. 
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