About two years ago, we toured 1128 S. 19th St., a large corner property that caught fire mere weeks before we set foot inside. The first floor was trashed, the second pretty severely damaged, and the third only had some minor blemishes from smoke and water. We passed on the property, and it’s continued to sit vacant, though it was listed on the market for over a year at a price of $175K.

Before the fire

Over the past couple of years, the front of the property has been bowing out, with a fairly significant crack developing in the facade. Awhile ago, a wooden brace appeared in front of the building, ostensibly to prevent its collapse. Just last month, we passed the building, and said, “gee, that crack seems to be getting bigger fast.” And wouldn’t you know it, a couple of weeks ago, the owner of the property proactively took down the facade before it fell down of its own accord. And in recent days, masons have been constructing a new facade which will certainly be more stable than its predecessor.

One story is finished so far

Upon closer inspection, it looks okay

The interior upstairs looks awful

Hopefully, this is the beginning of a process that will see this blighted property improved. While the new facade will make the building safer for pedestrians, its boarded up windows and flame-scarred side and rear make for an unpleasant sight for passersby and children playing at the day care across the street. With a host of violations that have not been addresses, including a Doors & Windows violation from February, we assume that this improvement will lead to additional renovations that will ideally bring the property back into use, or at the very least make it less of an eyesore in the neighborhood.