Farinella Here: Front Street Lofts is rolling forward in some familiar JKR territory. Front Street's newest mixed used building will join two JKR staples (Spotlight Theaters and The Capital Grille) in the heart of Hartford. The building will feature 121 residential units on top of 15,000 square feet of retail space and also boasts a fitness center and a roof deck overlooking downtown Hartford. Bob, Rick, Cory and myself have been pushing the design forward and are anticipating a construction date in the spring of 2014, claiming 3 out of 4 of Front Street's newest developments. 

Welcome to Walgreens?

Blake here:  On the last day of July in 2013 Philadelphia opened the doors to a new breed of Walgreens, and the first of its kind in the state of Pennsylvania.  Located at the corner of Broad and Chestnut Streets welcome to Walgreens on steroids.  I mean when was the last time you got fro yo at a Walgreens?  Or used a digital interface to see how a certain makeup would look on your gorgeousness before you made the purchase, ladies?  Well you can here.

Then - as Borders

Previously this was a place to feed the mind as Borders.  Now you can feed it all with food, cosmetics, reading materials, and medication within the newly renovated 3-story space.  And to add to the Philadelphia experience inside you'll find areas dedicated to local favorites such as the Crayola, Philadelphia Water Ice, Hershey's, Center City Pretzel, and Just Born companies.  Check it out for yourself, this is no ordinary Walgreens.

JKRP Softball > .500!

Zach Here:  Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it was the Yuengling Light Lager that no one would touch. Maybe is was divine intervention. Or maybe it was just a level of concentration and skill not seen on the JKRP softball diamond in quite a while. Whatever it was, it was awesome. An 8-run 2-out rally in the third inning had Ewing Cole on their heels and JKRP rounding the bases with every stroke of the bat. After we took the lead, solid defense kept us there.  Long flies to the outfield were caught with ease and ground balls were expertly handled by the infield; halting the opposition's offensive machine. Our runs only came in two innings, but they were enough to lift the JKRP squad to a 13-12 win over Ewing Cole's 'A' team.  With this hot and humid victory, the team's record creeps above the .500 mark as we head into the final games of the regular season.

It's not chilly... It's Peru

Izzo Here: Following in the footsteps of the great master architect Jerry Roller, I decided to take the same vacation as he took in November last week with a few of my college buddies, and ventured to Peru to see the ancient Incan civilization of Machu Picchu.  After hiking the Inca trail for 4 days, I realized it's not a vacation I would recommend to most people.  Architects might like it, or world class athletes, but the average person might want to be dropped off at Machu Picchu via helicopter. 14,000 ft above sea level takes a toll on an out of shape sea level dweller like myself and the endless stone stairs didn't help.  Overall it was a great experience.  Was really impressed with all of the old stone work and most impressed with the trail itself.   Would I go again? Nope.

A parade marched through Cusco

traditional dancing ensued.

"sorry officer, I thought my knife met the required size limit."

Peru

I stopped at least forty times on this trail to rest. 

picture perfect.

 

JKR Family Fun Day MMXIII

Tim here - This past Wednesday (6/19) marked the first Annual JKR Family fun day.  Tram Fun did an excellent job organizing and hosting this fun day of games, activities and barbecuing in Philly's Fairmount Park West.  There was a great turnout of both staff and their families, and we hope this will be the first of many great Family Fun Days.

The office grill performed admirably on its first day of work.

The bubbles entertained Sean for hours. 

2nd Floor once again proves its superiority.

Burgers are always better when battered in beer.

Chris and David Urffer, u-r-f-f-e-r.

Southstar Update

Elevator shaft going up

looking East: steel going in

Things are moving along at our Southstar Lofts construction site at the corner of Broad and South Streets in the city.  After a few weeks of digging and hundreds and hundreds of truckloads of dirt, we're finally seeing this baby peeking it's head out of the ground. Steel arrived Friday and a lot of it is already in place.  Block walls at the eastern end of the site have broken the surface, and the elevator shaft is up to the second floor.  Five more floors to go!

Anthony Wayne II, Subsidized Senior Housing

TWayne awaiting his brick, hardie board, and stucco exterior

3^rd floor unit view

View from the 4^th floor corner unit 

Glenn, Tiffany, Lauren, and Laura have been working on a 46-unit apartment building that will provide subsidized housing for seniors in the Grays Ferry Area.  Anthony Wayne II neighbors Anthony Wayne I, which JKRP previously renovated.  Construction is well underway on TWayne (as we’ve affectionately nicknamed it), despite some acts of trespassing, vandalism, and theft.  TWayne has 1 and 2 bedroom units, as well as two community rooms and a number of communal sitting areas.  The large window systems that have been installed will give these seniors plenty of light and nice views of the Center City skyline, as well as nearby fields.