Hi All,

I've noted many houses (some fully rehabbed, some shells) for sale in the Malcolm X Park area.

Not a Philly native (only been here a year) it's hard to know if this is truly an "up and coming" area. Those of you with a West Philly background, please weigh in! Do you think this area is headed in the direction of gentrification within the next 5 years or is this section still a long way from being one of West Philly's more comfortable neighborhoods?

Thanks for your insight!

(between Baltimore and Spruce) I think 'gentrification' will eventually make its way to 52nd (5 years?)...and it will take a LONG time to cross over 52nd.

This really depends on what you mean.

Do I think that even with an overall downturn in the real estate market will values in this area continue to incrementally rise. Yes I do. Great housing stock, short walking or bicycling distance to already "nice" parts of University City that cost substantially more, a park that has come leaps and bounds as a nice park to hang out in with your kids (even if its still not Clark Park), and its covered out to 52nd by the Penn Mortgage Enhancement District (at a time when many lower rung Penn employees are feeling squeezed out by the higher prices further east).

Do I think this area will be the next Graduate Hospital (and I mean that in both the "good" way and the "bad" way)? No. The prices there are not that far out of whack, the neighborhood is not so "bad" as is. That neighborhood is not going to "switch" economically or racially over night - and that I think is a good thing. Its always been a relatively stable, realtively decent African American residential section. I expect over the next couple of years for it to become incrementally more racially mixed and prices to continue to rise incrementally. That area is not likely to see a sudden over night "sea change" in any direction good or bad, up or down in price, but I think that anyone seriously thinking about moving into that area would and should probably appreciate it for exactly those qualities. I say move there because you feel its an area you can make a home in "as is" (or with the same level of continuing moderate improvements especially to the park itself that its seen in the last 5 years) not because you are expecting to be followed by a sudden stampede of yuppie rehabbers.

Seand - THANK YOU! That was exactly the type of insight I was looking for. Thank you for being candid.

I've actually made an offer on a house in the park but it was rejected. Apparently the seller IS expecting yppies to rush the park and for the houses to be worth $300k+ this year. Too bad for me but at least I see there is expectation for the neighborhood to maintain/improve.

Thanks again for your comments - I'll keep looking in West Philly!

While the park is used by different people than Clark, it's really a lovely park, well-used, and safe, at least in my experiences there. I think Sean's right; it's not a rough area down by the park, will not likely be hip either, but is already a nice spot for black families and would be for mildly adventurous white folks. I doubt 52nd Street will get much in the way of hipster stores, since it's such a hip-hop hub, but who knows?

We live off of the park and one of our friends live on the park. We go back and forth on how attractive the park is since we have friends who are in the market for buying a house and are priced out of UC. I say that the park is a bonus, my boyfriend thinks it's a liability.

I think that there will continue to be more people attracted by the improvements on the park and feel safe living there but I think there will be drug dealing, weed smoking, and kids getting into trouble for a while.

The music and gospel events can fluctuate between being amenities and being annoying depending on how loud the music is. There's also a storefront church on 52nd and Pine that plays music for 2 hours almost every day of the week. So the noise can be a nuisance. It also means the park is being used and enjoyed by people.

So I hope that it never gets gentrified. It's a good mix of it being what it is - a free space for different groups to use with little or no oversight. But in terms of living, and why it's not super attractive, you have Cousin Danny's strip club as well as Horton's Inn and you have a real tendency for crime from the LOP (Larchwood, Osage, Pine) Crew that was getting pretty bad, especially around the corner of 51st and Larchwood, other crime, no good restaurants, and a park that can be super dirty until Jannie Blackwell puts a call into UCD. The amenities are 52 flavors water ice, longtime and dedicated residents who like to see people involved in improving their n'hood (and not just their property), access to public trans, nice housing stock, and the potential for the area to improve over time.

If I were you, I would avoid some of the rehabs or shells and buy something rough around the edges and do it yourself. I've seen a stop work permit and there isn't a single reputable contractor's truck around. Most of the work is done by people unfamiliar with the permitting process and you have serious potential for faulty projects.

Black Oak Park, err Malcolm X Park is the current edge of revitalization. It is on the cusp of both the good and the bad. The park is beautiful, the people that use it tend to be dodgy.

__________________
Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the United States. Ask any Indian. - Robert Orben

I live on 50th and Hazel. I've generally found the park to be a decent place to read a book/walk the dog/generally hang out during the day. Even walking through at night, it is seems mostly benign from an 'activity' stand point. I've seen a couple good jazz acts there as well. In my general wanderings through the neighboorhood, the 50th blocks of larchwood, osage, and pine and the 51st block of Hazel all seem to be very well taken care of and quiet.

Who knew that the park now has a website:

http://www.malcolmxpark.org

__________________
Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the United States. Ask any Indian. - Robert Orben

Looks like some links on the website don't work yet, but it's great that it has one. Me and my wife both like the park quite a bit. As for the general area, I don't know about closer to the park but we live on a little side street close by right off of Spruce and we like it here.