Via Flickr:
“Walking the Eraserhood” represents an ongoing street-level exploration of the Callowhill district and surrounding environs, a sort of virtual walking tour of the neighborhood.

On the southeast corner stands a reasonably well preserved example of a classic filling station from the early days of automobile travel. The northeast corner supports a former power station for mass transit, planned for adaptive reuse, which will include forty apartment units, twenty parking spaces for cars, and ten spots for bikes.

Copyright © 2009-2013, Bob Bruhin. All rights reserved.

Via Flickr:
“Walking the Eraserhood” represents an ongoing street-level exploration of the Callowhill district and surrounding environs, a sort of virtual walking tour of the neighborhood.

The residential property on the northwest corner has been abandoned for many years, despite frequent plans to rehabilitate it. Somewhere in the history of the site, a fourth floor was demolished. Current plans are transform the 20K square foot building into 12 two-bedroom and four one-bedroom rental apartments. Looking northwest along Ridge, one can catch a first glimpse of the abandoned Divine Lorraine Hotel.

Copyright © 2009-2013, Bob Bruhin. All rights reserved.

Via Flickr:
“Walking the Eraserhood” represents an ongoing street-level exploration of the Callowhill district and surrounding environs, a sort of virtual walking tour of the neighborhood.

The amazing relic of Finney & Son Monuments/Mausoleum, on the east side of 12th Streetx now houses the Philadelphia Mausoleum of Contemporary Art (PhilaMOCA), an arts organization and performance venue famous for promoting the Eraserhood as a creepy yet inspirational neighborhood.

Copyright © 2009-2013, Bob Bruhin. All rights reserved.

Via Flickr:
“Walking the Eraserhood” represents an ongoing street-level exploration of the Callowhill district and surrounding environs, a sort of virtual walking tour of the neighborhood.

With luck, the twin spires of the endangered Church of the Assumption are still here on the north side of the street. Tradition holds this is also the site over which Franklin’s kite flew during his famous electrical experiment. Just west of Assumption is a rectory, built in a radically different style.

Copyright © 2009-2013, Bob Bruhin. All rights reserved.

“Walking the Eraserhood” represents an ongoing street-level exploration of the Callowhill district and surrounding environs, a sort of virtual walking tour of the neighborhood.

See the small row of homes on the southeast corner, tucked in to the fold of the former Independence Press building.

Copyright © 2009-2013, Bob Bruhin. All rights reserved.

“Walking the Eraserhood” represents an ongoing street-level exploration of the Callowhill district and surrounding environs, a sort of virtual walking tour of the neighborhood.

Here you can look north to see the last block of the abandoned portion of the Reading Viaduct west of you, and the bed of the current SEPTA rails to the east as they leave the Commuter Tunnel and rejoin the still active portion of the former Reading line.

Copyright © 2009-2013, Bob Bruhin. All rights reserved.

“Walking the Eraserhood” represents an ongoing street-level exploration of the Callowhill district and surrounding environs, a sort of virtual walking tour of the neighborhood.

The Viaduct crosses Spring Garden Street to the west of this intersection, on an uncharacteristic concrete bridge. The northwest corner of the intersection is dominated by former Spring Garden Station, closed when the Viaduct was abandoned in favor of the new underground Commuter Tunnel.

Copyright © 2009-2013, Bob Bruhin. All rights reserved.

“Walking the Eraserhood” represents an ongoing street-level exploration of the Callowhill district and surrounding environs, a sort of virtual walking tour of the neighborhood.

Looking west (because we are on the edge of the Eraserhood district, east of here much of the historical structures were demolished during a poorly planned urban renewal phase) we get another good look at the Viaduct, as well as a side view of the Haverford Bicycle Company, including a ghost sign bearing the legend, “The bicycle with the national reputation.”

Copyright © 2009-2013, Bob Bruhin. All rights reserved.

“Walking the Eraserhood” represents an ongoing street-level exploration of the Callowhill district and surrounding environs, a sort of virtual walking tour of the neighborhood.

The majestic bulk of the 1927 Willow Street Steam Generation Plant dominates this corner. Originally built by Philadelphia Electric Company, Willow Steam was once part of the third largest steam heating system in the United States. This is another one of the sites that David Lynch appears to allude to in the first ten minutes of Eraserhead. From here, one can look west to see another view of the various ages and styles of architecture that compose Esslinger’s site.

Copyright © 2009-2013, Bob Bruhin. All rights reserved.