Lessons from Philly’s repurposed relics | Morning Newsletter

Welcome to Sunday, folks! Today is looking mostly cloudy, with a chance of rain and a high near 62.

It took half a century to repurpose Philadelphia’s vast inventory of abandoned factory buildings. Inga Saffron’s latest column encourages us to apply what we’ve learned from those renovations to the city’s next generation of obsolete buildings — office towers.

— Erin Reynolds (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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Dozens of Philadelphia’s obsolete factory buildings have been reinvented — finding new life as apartments with names that refer to their former function. (Think the Chocolate Works or the Button Factory.)

Now, after decades of standing vacant, two more “industrial zombies” are joining the group. The Peco power plant next to Penn Treaty Park and the sprawling F.A. Poth Brewery at 31st and Jefferson are about to become thrumming hubs once again.

They were hard cases. When Inquirer columnist Inga Saffron first visited the buildings before the pandemic, they were in ruins. But when she returned this fall, as tenants were starting to move in, she was struck by the ingenious solutions developed by architects.

That got her thinking: These postindustrial conversions can be a model for salvaging Philly’s post-pandemic building surplus.

Right now, cities are deeply concerned that skyscrapers, which are beginning to empty out as more people work from home and employers downsize, could sit empty for decades — just as their obsolete brick factories did.

But, as Saffron argues, “we needn’t lose hope.” Recent renovations to Philly’s industrial relics actually offer lessons for how we could reuse modern trophy towers.

Saffron explores some of those lessons here.

Last year, the School District of Philadelphia identified thousands of students as “chronically absent,” meaning they missed more than 10% of school days.

Although there is widespread acknowledgment that truancy, or absenteeism without an excuse, is a critical problem, its causes are rarely understood.

For some, life at school is defined by danger and disorder. Students in chaotic schools often believe that there is nothing to show up for, and walk away. Others start missing school frequently because of housing insecurity.

Despite the varying drivers of truancy, the results are often the same: absence is criminalized. After a student has accrued more than 10 days of unexcused absences, the case is referred to Philadelphia Regional Truancy Court, but those working within it say it’s riddled with flaws.

Namely, because truancy court doesn’t address the underlying reasons for a child’s absences, the problems causing truancy remain unresolved.

We unpack why so many Philly kids skip school, from the perspective of those who have lived it, here.

Philly’s rat problem ranks high on Orkin’s list. Of the top 10 U.S. cities for rat infestation, Philly is:

A) First

B) Sixth

C) Fourth

D) Ninth

Think you know? Check your answer.

🤩 Proud of: Philly has been named the best city to visit in the United States next year by Lonely Planet travel guide.

🏘 Touring: A Phillies fan’s personal sports haven.

Hint: A lesser-known invasive species in Pennsylvania

BAIL WORD

We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Email us if you know the answer. Cheers to Janet Parker, who correctly guessed Friday’s answer: Britney Spears.

Thanks for reading. Stay cozy!