Last week, representatives from Brewery Park Associates went before the ZBA with a proposal to finish a project that began a few years ago. 3000 Master St. takes up an entire city block, and the eastern half of the former warehouse pictured below is currently used as residential loft apartments, the Lofts at Brewerytown.
A hundred years ago, this site was home to Philip Spaeter, a company that made barrels and kegs for brewers, according to the Greater Philadelphia Geohistory Network. In addition, the G.F. Rothacker Brewery did its thing on the western side of this parcel. By the 1940s, the warehouse you see today had been constructed, and was being used as a storage facility for American Stores Inc., the parent company of Acme Markets.
Now, this former home for supermarket products will be home to a ton of people. A few years back, the owners converted one of the building towers into residential units, and now they’re ready to finish the job. Just looking at the building, you’d think that it’s already fully occupied, but that’s because the windows on the western tower were done when the first phase was completed, to make the building more attractive to potential tenants.
When the project is finished, the residential units will number 224, and there will be 239 parking spaces on the premises. In addition, several of the spaces that currently look like garages on the western side of the building will be converted into usable commercial spaces, as was done on the eastern side. The owners are hoping for a couple of restaurants, which would clearly be a big deal for the neighborhood.
And speaking of big deals for the neighborhood, just down the street, the Bottom Dollar supermarket is moving along nicely. Yup, it looks like groceries will be back in style ’round these parts in no time.