For years, the old 26th Precinct Police Station stood blighted on the corner of Trenton & Dauphin. The number of years this architectural gem sat vacant worried preservationists, who feared that it might eventually be lost. Thankfully, the building was purchased and restored last year, maintaining the existence of one of the most interesting buildings in the neighborhood.

In 2011

Over the summer. Quite an improvement

During the years the building sat vacant and blighted, the surrounding lots could not have been considered attractive by any means. After all, who would run to buy a home or even rent an apartment next door to a large building with an unpleasant present and an unclear future? But with the building’s rebirth, it seems that some adjacent vacant lots are getting new attention. We passed by a couple of days ago and noticed new construction taking place at 2132 and 2134 E. Dauphin St., the two lots next to the PFCU entrance.

In the past

The other day

According to the permits, two single family homes will soon be rising here. The developer is Peter Mcaleer, who bought the lots earlier this year. There are two more lots next to those pictured above- one is owned by the Redevelopment Authority, so good luck seeing that redeveloped any time soon. Next to that is another privately owned lot that recently got building permits for an additional single family home.

Are these homes finally getting built because the former police precinct got redeveloped, or would this have happened anyway? It’s hard to know, but we can say with great confidence that the renovation of the beautiful building on the corner has certainly made this little stretch more attractive. Hopefully, the lone City lot on the block will be sold sometime soon and all the gaps on the block will be filled in.