Curbed Cup Final Four: (5) Graduate Hospital vs. (9) Brewerytown

Graduate Hospital

Last year, Graduate Hospital was expected to be the “hottest” neighborhood of 2016—at least in terms of its real estate. At this point, many would argue that it’s no longer so “hot”—more like “established.” Yet, development is still rapid here. A modular luxury condo building is being dropped in the neighborhood at this moment, and restaurants and retail are coming with it. No, homes here are certainly not bargain buys, but in the end it’s the location and people that makes it great, argues commenter Girasoul: “Just south of Rittenhouse and Center City, this is truly one of the most walkable and commutable neighborhoods in all of Philadelphia [...] We also have a beautiful rainbow mix of people.”

Courtesy of kim(ber)/Flickr

Brewerytown

There’s no denying Brewerytown’s boom in recent years. The historic neighborhood that was once known for, as the name suggests, its plethora of breweries, today features a bustling retail corridor along Girard Avenue that boasts Flying Fish brew pub, Spot Burger, and soon, the second location of popular Fishtown haunt Pizza Brain. One would be remiss to mention the mix of new builds and adaptive reuse projects in the works, many of which developer MMPartners has spearheaded. As one nominator put it, “Brewerytown has a great price point where you can work right across bridge in University City, hop on Kelly or walk to Center City while paying around $1,500 for 2-bedroom, 2-bath apartment.”