In December of 2011, we told you about the exciting new development that was nearly complete at 600 North Broad Street. Today, the complex represents the future promise of North Broad Street. Joe Volpe’s Vie, Marc Vetri’s Alla Spina and Stephen Starr’s Route 6 anchor a reviving area already pioneered by Osteria. This facelift for the property bound by Broad, Green, Mt. Vernon and 15th Streets is a big piece of the puzzle in the transformation of a long-neglected area. This is appropriate because, as history shows, this space has a documented habit of mirroring the broader (no pun intended) changes around it. Indeed, as shown by the image below, taken from Hexamer & Locher’s 1858 Philadelphia Atlas, the 600 block of North Broad was a lumberyard, as was every block between Spring Garden and North Streets.

(via Delorean Time Machine: 600 North Broad Street | NakedPhilly)