We were in the neighborhood the other day, and the sight of this building, under construction, gave us pause. 1600 Frankford Ave. has been on and off the market for the last couple of years, before finally being purchased by Barksdale Properties LLC earlier this year, for $210K.

The building

Inside, the building has nearly 3,400 sqft of space, and it had most recently been set up for five apartments. According to the most recent listing, the property was in need of a total rehab, and that is exactly what appears to be taking place. Speaking of the listing, it also boasts that the property is within walking distance of “Barcade Sandwich and Sub Shop.” Huh?

On Oxford St.

What was this, originally?

The bones of this building are very cool, and we just hope that the developers maintain the original aesthetic as much as possible as they make it inhabitable once again. The utterly unfortunate rehab that took place just a block away at 1700 Frankford Ave., which eliminated almost every original detail, including a mostly-intact cornice, serves as a cautionary tale.

From this...

To this! Oh, what could have been...

We’ll check back in over here in the next couple of months, to see what things look like once the rehab is nearing completion.