A few months ago, we brought 2508 E. Cumberland St. to your attention, noting its recent demolition. We shared some of the history of the property at the time, noting that it had been built in the late 1930s as a machine shop, and that it was later used for industrial storage, auto painting, and contractor offices. We also pointed out the way that the neighborhood changed during the lifetime of the building, transitioning from a center of industry to a hub of residential and commercial development.
Given the way the neighborhood has changed, it made all kinds of sense that the industrial building got torn down. But when we wrote our story, we didn’t know what would be coming in its place. We suggested that the 12K sqft property could accommodate a new mixed-use building with some height, density, and ground floor retail, but we noted that the property was zoned for single-family use and such a project would require a variance. A 9-10 home development was possible as a matter of right, but we figured the developers would at least try for a variance. Alas, we were mistaken.
As we’ve seen with several other former industrial sites in this part of town, we’ll be getting a townhome project at this location. The developers are calling the project the Cumberland Nine and are, as you might guess, planning nine homes here. The plans call for three extra-wide homes on E. Cumberland St., each with two car parking, and a carriage house style home as well, which will float over the access point to the project’s drive aisle. On Letterly Street, there will be five homes, and all of those homes will have one-car parking. Gnome Architects did the design work and they were kind enough to share some renderings of what we can expect here.
Surely these homes will be desirable on their own merits, but they will also have something extra going for them that other projects in the area haven’t enjoyed- by the time these homes are getting listed for sale, the famed “Galvo” will surely be no more. This white elephant, which is located right across the street from the Letterly Street frontage of 2508 E. Cumberland St., is a major eyesore and it appears it is finally getting demolished over the course of this year. Eliminating this building and dealing with the outstanding environmental issues will be a huge boon for the Cumberland Nine project and honestly, for the neighborhood as a whole.