A couple years back, we told you about plans for the renovation of a blighted building on the southwest corner of 24th & Thompson, where Brewerytown meets Sharswood. At the time, we were excited to hear that the old building would be renovated, and were likewise pleased to see development activity in this section of the neighborhood.
Checking back in the other week, we figured the renovation of this building into four apartment units would have been long finished. How wrong we were.
As you can see, there won't be any renovation happening here any time soon. We couldn't tell you what changed the developers' minds that led to the shift from renovation to demolition and new construction, but that's exactly what's happening now. The property changed hands about a year ago, so maybe it's a plan from different developers than those who originally wanted to fix up the existing property. Or else maybe the old building wasn't in good enough shape to preserve. Or perhaps it was just a matter of dollars and cents.
This situation is echoed somewhat across the street. When we last visited this intersection, there was a vacant former store at 2352 W. Thompson St., on the southeast corner. From the outside at least, the building that contained the old Yellow Market maintained the architectural details of its neighbors.
That building has also been demolished, though the vacant home next door remains.
Unlike the property across the street, there are no permits in place for a replacement. Perhaps if the developers at 2400 W. Thompson St. build their quadplex and have success finding renters, it could inspire the owners of the lot where the store once stood to build a building across the street. Alternately, the lot could just sit vacant for the next several years. It could really go either way.