We couldn’t tell you what purpose 334 N. 13th St. was originally built for, all we know is that this two story building has been home to a custom framing business for many years. At some point in its history, its windows were either eliminated or greatly reduced in size, but the original window openings have remained intact, so we can get a sense of what it might have looked like, originally.

We were heading north on 13th Street the other day, and we noticed that this building is getting a new two-story addition.

Developers bought the building back in 2015, paying $550K. According to the permits, the building will have five apartment units and a vacant commercial space when the project is complete. We wouldn’t have necessarily expected such a project to take shape here, but upon further consideration it actually makes some sense.

Remember, the Hanover North Broad project recently replaced a surface parking lot right behind this property, so additional residential seems like a good fit for this corner. With so many new people living nearby, a whole new world of retail opportunities are open for the ground floor space in this building, so there’s a chance that an exciting business could open up here. Just up the block, past the upcoming Rail Park, are Cafe Lift, Prohibition Taproom, and Bufad, so a restaurant could certainly find a successful home here and have the advantage of close proximity to the Hanover North Broad residents. And if a business, restaurant or otherwise, does indeed find a successful home here, we’d think that something similar could happen to the auto garage next door, and other similar properties around the neighborhood as well.