We're pretty sure that the building at 1132 N. Front St. was originally part of the Dougherty distillery, which operated on this block through the beginning of the 20th century, according to Hidden City. In later years, the building was used as a spice factory, though for at least the last decade, it's been sitting vacant and blighted.
It's been listed for sale repeatedly over time, and some of those listings are pretty fun in retrospect. For example, the $1.5M listing from 2004 says "If you are a developer, now is the time, b/4 River Boat Gambling goes legal." Aww cute. The 2009 listing, also for $1.5M, indicates that the property is "centrally located two blocks from the future Sugar House casino on the east and the the recently opened Schmidts Piazza on the west." Remember when the casino and the Piazza were shiny and new? Also, "on the east/west"? Eh, whatever.
The property was listed again at the end of 2015, and after a few months on the market, a developer stepped forward to buy the property for $1M. We passed by the other day and noticed that the building is now under construction. This is good news indeed.
According to the permits on the property, the developers are adding a floor (we can see that) and are converting the building into 30 apartment units. This project certainly makes sense at this location at this point in time, as we've seen numerous apartment projects appear further north on Front Street over the last few years and this one is probably the best located of all of them. Just to the south, where a large warehouse burned down about five years ago, is a development of townhomes that are fully occupied. And of course, as the old listings indicated, this building is near Sugarhouse and the Piazza, along with Frankford Avenue in Fishtown and the Girard Avenue El stop. Even with the constant roar of the El, we imagine the developers will be able to find eager takers for these apartments. And folks living nearby are surely pleased that this long blighted building is finally getting brought back to life. It's certainly a better fate than the wrecking ball.