After stuffing our faces with cannoli at the Italian Market Festival, we found ourselves on the 1200 block of Carpenter St. and were surprised to see some new construction activity on the block. 1215 Carpenter St. was an overgrown vacant lot we’d never noticed, and now it’s framed out over two stories.

In the past

Current view

According to a zoning application from a few months ago, this will be a triplex that could rise as high as 60′ in the air. We’re guessing it will end up being four stories tall, as anything taller would require different framing for the first story, from what we understand. We were surprised to see construction here because though there are a couple of homes on the eastern end of this block, it’s not exactly a residential location. The north side of this block is dominated by 1241 Carpenter Studios, a collection of artist studios located in a former belt manufacturing building. On the south side is a playground and the Hawthorne Cultural Center.

Across the street

What this tells us is that even unexpected lots are being redeveloped in this neighborhood, indicating a strong push from developers to build out every lot they can get their hands on. We’re not sure who’s behind this development, as we’re guessing a new owner hasn’t yet shown up on public record. But with a design by KJO Architecture, we’re confident that the building will be a fine addition to the block. Once the construction progresses some more, we’ll check back in and see how things are looking.