A weary Chinatown faces the future | Morning Newsletter
And 14 midcentury wonders around Philly
The Morning Newsletter
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Welcome to Sunday.
Winter weather advisories are in effect as snow will soon blanket the region, expected largely to fall during the Eagles-Rams playoff game, followed by a bitter cold snap. Surely our Birds are built to win in the elements.
As Chinatown revels in the demise of a Sixers arena project, it also confronts an uncertain future ahead. Today’s main read explores the historic Asian neighborhood’s persistent fight to push back against development, and what’s next.
— Paola Pérez ([email protected])
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Lunar New Year is around the corner. Chinatown will celebrate not only the Year of the Snake, but the fall of a viper they feared threatened the community as they know it: the Sixers' plan to build a $1.4 billion basketball showplace on East Market Street.
This sudden decision brought relief to the community, exhausted by a two-and-a-half-year battle that marked yet another instance when the neighborhood found itself in the shadow of a looming development.
Leaders say this happens roughly every seven years or so. Whether it’s a prison, a casino, or a sports stadium, a new prospect demands the community drain its time, energy, and money to protect its identity.
In their own words: “It’s exhausting,” said John Chin, executive director of the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp. “Our parents worked their way up to become small-business owners, and to have this fear that our roots will be uprooted, and the Chinatown they gave us eventually could disappear, is a huge toll on your emotions.”
This latest struggle against the arena boosted Chinatown‘s many needs into wider public consciousness, but weary residents are looking ahead with a conscious eye.
Go deeper with Jeff Gammage and Beatrice Foreman as they detail the community’s continued battle to preserve its identity.
What you should know today
Two days ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s second inauguration, demonstrators gathered at City Hall to march against what the incoming administration might bring for reproductive rights, immigrants, and more.
Central Bucks administrators and a school board member are clashing over allegations of mistreatment of students in a special education classroom, including the board member’s son.
A Brookhaven man broke into at least four homes and one vehicle within a few hundred feet of each other over the span of a few hours in August, stealing jewelry, electronics and, in one incident, a West Chester police officer’s ballistic vest and badge, according to prosecutors in Chester County.
The Camden Education Fund has awarded $1.1 million in grants to five city high schools to boost achievement for students struggling to learn English or overcome disabilities.
Will Stokes Jr., 69, of Philadelphia, prolific painter, printmaker, textile designer, and longtime artist-in-residence at the Fabric Workshop and Museum, died Friday, Dec. 27, of a heart attack at his home.
A disturbing new study has predicted that new cases of dementia will double by 2060, estimating that 1 million adults will develop the memory-destroying brain disease. Experts share ways to reduce your risk.
A nearly 100-year-old church camp in northern Chester County has been preserved in a $1.6 million deal. The move ensures some public access to the land, and that it won’t fall at risk to development.
Adrien Brody portrays the architect László Tóth in The Brutalist, a film that recreates the drama and beauty of midcentury Philadelphia. But in reality, no singular person pioneered modern European architectural ideas in the city.
Today, Philly reflects the vision of multiple architects using Brutalism styles, including:
🏙️ William Lescaze and George Howe, who crafted a radically modern design for the PSFS building
🏢 Oscar Stonorov, who believed architecture should provide for the needs of average people and infused this principle into several housing projects
🏥 Louis Kahn, who developed his ideas through buildings like the Richards Medical Building at Penn and the Erdman Dormitories at Bryn Mawr
Keep reading to learn about Brutalism, how the iconic midcentury architecture is infused in 14 wonders around the city, and the real-life architects who defined it.
❓Pop quiz
Love City Brewery in Callowhill has a Hazy IPA on tap that’s named after which film by David Lynch?
A) Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
B) Eraserhead
C) Mulholland Drive
D) Wild at Heart
Think you know? Check your answer.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: The Starman, Ziggy Stardust
AVOW BIDDIE
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Judy Pidgeon who correctly guessed Saturday’s answer: Gardens of Tomorrow, the theme for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s 2025 Philadelphia Flower Show. Here’s a sneak peek.
Photo of the day
What you’re saying about...
Yesterday, I asked you to tell me about your experience with gyms around the city and beyond. Here’s a sample of your responses, edited for clarity:
Tom Felder: My wife and I live on the outskirts of Kennett Square. The Hockessin Athletic Club is nearby. I understand it was funded in part by the Carpenter family, who owned the Philadelphia Phillies. The HAC, as it’s known around here, is an excellent facility, with programs for kids, adults, and seniors. My wife, who has not been much of an exercise fanatic, loves the place. She takes an exercise class there, has made some new friends. We are retired, in our early 70s, but we love the HAC and get over there often.
Nikka Landau: I moved to Philly from Connecticut 2.5 years ago and it’s wild how in shape people are here. It’s so motivating to be in workout classes with so many amazing athletes! I love Elevate on Walnut. Hector Bones is the best and beyond working out, his gym is gorgeous (think things like nice soap and beautiful art when you walk in). But he’s also so thoughtful and always looking to help clients with whatever comes at them. His team is stellar. If people are looking for personal training, Elevate is amazing. I also love Orange Theory at 16th and Chestnut. The coaches, Dan, Tory, Bryan, and Kimmy are such rock stars and have helped me hit so many personal records. Every type of person works out there — some of the best runners in the city, super strong weight lifters, people who are just at the start of their fitness journey, and those who are super casual and just looking to do something healthy. They also do a great job building community and celebrating members. Love Philly’s workout community!
Meg Berlin: I’m a person who HATES to exercise. But a new gym opened almost across the street from me (Equinox), and so I felt I had to join. It just opened (oh, how I relished being “unable” to go during the summer and the fall, when it hadn’t yet opened!). But it’s open now, and I just made my first appointment for a fitness evaluation and workout. I don’t do classes because I feel stupid and uncoordinated. Can that change? I guess we’ll see.
You got this. Philly is rooting for you. Thanks for sharing.
🎶 Today’s track goes like this: “Oh-oh, where are we going? / Oh, what’s the future showin'?”
👋🏽 You won’t get a morning newsletter tomorrow in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Julie will be back in your inbox bright and early on Tuesday. Stay warm, and go Birds!