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The Sixers’ real estate play | Morning Newsletter

And working to make safe spaces for kids to play.

The Sixers say they want to line the planned arena on Market Street with restaurants and other active retail uses. This view shows the proposed building looking west from the corner of 10th Street. Much of the building would be covered with digital screens.
The Sixers say they want to line the planned arena on Market Street with restaurants and other active retail uses. This view shows the proposed building looking west from the corner of 10th Street. Much of the building would be covered with digital screens.Read more76 Devcorp
    by Taylor Allen
    Published 

    The Morning Newsletter

    Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter

Temps are expected to reach a high of 94 today but will feel like 100 or more. So be careful out there!

In today’s newsletter:

🏀First, we’ll talk about motivations behind the 76ers’ proposal to build a Center City arena on Market Street.

🛝 And then, we dig into how neighborhood groups in Kensington are trying to provide safe spaces for kids to play.

If you see this 🔑 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.

— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

Not just a sports arena

The Sixers originally announced their intention to move their home court to the Fashion District shopping mall at 11th and Market Streets, but the endeavor involves so much more than an arena.

The Sixers’ proposal is actually the beginning of a major urban redevelopment project. By completion, the arena — which would be called 76 Place at Market East — would be just part of an entertainment district that featured restaurants, bars, shops, and eventually, apartment towers.

As tenants at Wells Fargo Center, the owners are able to get revenue only from ticket sales. With this plan, the Sixers would build and control their own real estate, and could keep all the money from naming rights, concert performances, and profits from beer and concessions.

The idea is so big that it would likely transform that section of Center City beyond recognition.

Architecture critic Inga Saffron has the details.

What you should know today

  1. From mental health to child care, a new report suggests that the consequences of the pandemic are causing Philly kids to suffer.

  2. Before the city starts down the road to sell the old police headquarters, “the Roundhouse,” it first is asking residents what to do with it.

  3. Ed Rendell, former Philly mayor and Pennsylvania governor, disclosed the trait he thinks the city’s next mayor must have.

  4. Mark D’Amico gets a state prison sentence for the Johnny Bobbitt GoFundMe scam.

  5. This deep dive on former Eagles coach Dick Vermeil reveals how the ambition that fueled his career also almost pushed him to a breakdown. 🔑

  6. NBC10 traffic reporter Sheila Watko got a shout-out from Beyoncé's mother after her traffic report filled with song references went viral.

Local coronavirus numbers: Here’s your daily look at the latest COVID-19 data.

Working to shift perceptions of Kensington through play

The city shut down a pool and several streets designated for children to play on in the Kensington neighborhood for the summer, citing safety concerns.

With fewer places to play, neighborhood groups and the Police Department teamed up to create an alternative: Playparks. It’s a larger version of Playstreets, featuring a haven of music, face painting, and free food.

But, Playparks are in locations heavily associated with drug use and that worries parents.

Reporters Sabrina Iglesias and Marina Affo spoke to neighborhood groups and the city about how to combat the neighborhood’s negative reputation while also addressing community needs.

🧠 Philly Trivia Time 🧠

Former pro running back Brian Westbrook is known for breaking records at Villanova and playing nine seasons in the NFL — eight with the Eagles and one with the San Francisco 49ers.

But he now gets to put the title “children’s book author” next to his name. What’s the title of his first book?

Hint: Before all the accolades, he was told he was too small to play professional football.

  1. The Mouse Who Played Football

  2. Small Player, Big Heart

  3. The Guinea Pig Who Played Football

  4. None of the above

Find out if you guessed correctly.

What we’re…

📰Reading: the story of a good Samaritan who jumped out of her car on I-95 to save a baby.

❓Considering: trying Cinnamon Toast Crunch and banana-flavored soft-serve ice cream.

🎨Anticipating: more digital art shows to come as early as next year. The “immersive Van Gogh” creators plan to open a venue in Philly.

🧩 Unscramble the Anagram 🧩

This building has been a hotel, a center for a religious movement, and apartments (twice). It will soon be a hotel again.

DELIRIA ENVIRON

Think you know? Send your guess our way at morningnewsletter@inquirer.com. We’ll give a shout-out to a reader at random who answers correctly. Today’s shout-out goes to Carol Basile from Center City, who correctly guessed sesquicentennial as Sunday’s answer.

Photo of the day

And that’s your Monday. I’ll be back in your inbox the same time tomorrow. ✌🏽