It is an old South Philly tradition, even though i thought the fashion now was to sandblast/restore the old front though some fronts because of past brick work do need a whole new one. Remember we got a alot of bricklayers in S. Philly.

Everyone who lives on a rowhouse block wants to distinguish their house from the others. For all you new to the area, S. Philly residents try to outdo each other in everything. Front, holiday decorations, kitchen, car.
Remember most neighborhoods were once developments. All the houses looked alike. So i guess there was a need to distinguish houses