We've seen major changes on the 4000 block of Baring Street over the last five years, with over a hundred apartments coming online, mostly via new construction. Through it all, we've wondered whether a row of ugly buildings at 4012-30 Baring St. would eventually succumb to the changes on the block. It's worth noting, these buildings were quite handsome at one point in time.
Somewhere along the line, someone thought it would be a great idea to stucco over the brownstone facades, eliminate the porches, and add horrific bumpouts. Hilariously, the old cornices remained, a reminder to anyone who cared to notice of the buildings' former glory.
We passed by this place earlier today on a reader tip and were shocked to see that the buildings have been demolished. Today it's just a flat patch of ground surrounded by a fence.
On the fence, the developers are advertising a new apartment building called Good Food Flats. They were even kind enough to include some renderings of what the building will ultimately look like.
According to permits, this building will include twenty-seven apartments. We should mention this is a by-right build. Looking at the project website, it appears that most of the units will have four bedrooms and two bathrooms. The building will a rather unique amenity, with a food lab and a commercial demonstration kitchen. They're planning to have special events with celebrity chefs and the website name-drops Anthony Bourdain. They also mention an entrepreneurship incubator and a pop-up restaurant space as additional unusual features. The building will also have some more standard amenities like a fitness center and a rooftop deck.
Most of the other construction we've seen near 40th & Baring has been no-frills student housing, though compared to our college apartment experiences even those units evoke the Ritz Carlton. Good Food Flats represents the next step up in student housing development, something we'd expect on Chestnut Street, not Baring Street. Maybe this will set the bar higher for future student housing around here and maybe it won't, but it seems to declare with great conviction that student housing development will continue to thrive in this area.