2529 Frankford Ave. was home to the VFW Post 22 since at least the 1950s, offering a gathering place for veterans in Fishtown. We don’t really understand how these sorts of establishments work, but we do know that the VFW sold their building the developers back in 2015, seemingly ceasing operations. In 2016, those developers went to the ZBA to change the lot lines for the property, with a plan to convert the existing buildings into 8 condo units. For some reason, there was a motion for reconsideration after the variance was granted, but the ZBA affirmed their decision about a year and a half ago. At some point in the last few months, it appears work finally got started in earnest at this property, as the dumpster out front and the new windows would indicate.

A sign on the building reveals that the project has been dubbed Captain’s Quarters, a play on the history of the property. We know that units start at $200K in the building, and according to the permits, there are two 1 bedroom units, five 2 bedroom units, and one 3 bedroom unit. Figure the $200K price point is for a 1 bedroom unit and the larger condos will trade at higher prices. We assume there’s more info out there on the project website, but we couldn’t access the site without giving up personal information via Facebook. If you’re interested in getting some more details and don’t mind sharing your info, have at it.

A few years ago, we might have expressed surprise that this kind of project was happening on the 2500 block of Frankford. But recent experience has taught us that all of Frankford Ave. is fair game these days, at least ’til you get to Lehigh Avenue. In fact, the Avenue30 project is in full swing, adding thirty new homes at Amber & Lehigh, and people are excitedly snapping up those units, so there’s some serious momentum on this side of the neighborhood. We have to wonder if, at some point, developers will make a sky high offer to the owners of the 10K sqft convenience store property across the street from the Captain’s Quarters project. Realistically, it’s probably not a matter of if, but when.