UP CLOSE
COMMUNITY ROOTS, GENERATIONAL IMPACT BY NAIM MITCHELL AND ABDUL-RAHIM MUHAMMAD The Islamic Cultural Preservation and Information Council (ICPIC) is an African American Muslim cultural organization that was founded 29 years ago as a progressive non-profit dedicated to preserving cultural heritage in Philadelphia. While they have a citywide presence, their primary catchment is the Belmont neighborhood in West Philadelphia, where they are a leader in planning the revitalization of the community and are charged with the creation and branding of the New Freedom District. The Belmont section of Philadelphia is a community facing challenges due to high unemployment (23%), poverty (55% of households are under the poverty limit), and land vacancy (24.6%).
The proposed facade of the mixed-use, New Africa Cultural Center and Museum in the 4200 block of Lancaster Avenue.
12 SUMMER 2023 | context | AIA Philadelphia
It is one of Philadelphia's federally designated Promise Zone and Opportunity Zone areas, a low-income urban community with a rich cultural history. Blighted, unused property is a major challenge for the 4200 block of Lancaster Avenue specifically. Despite these concerns and marginalized conditions, Belmont residents have supported the revitalization efforts by organizing and deploying resources to maintain the essence upon which the community's foundation was built. ICPIC saw an opportunity to help organize and connect this historically underserved community to improve the quality of life for residents. They have spent several years acquiring multiple parcels on the 4200 block of Lancaster Avenue with the plan to expand its cultural center and bring neighborhood-friendly retail and quality affordable housing to the Lancaster Avenue corridor. The vitality of a commercial corridor is central to any neighborhood’s long-term health and ICPIC is committed to transforming Lancaster Avenue into a vibrant, economically competitive retail corridor enhancing small businesses and West Philadelphia residents. To help expand their capacity and realize this plan, ICPIC selected Mosaic Development Partners JV to serve as their development partner in the lead real estate project for the New Freedom District. It will be a mixed-use, mixed-income project, anchored by the new home of the New Africa Cultural Center and Museum. Mosaic Devel-