We were passing through Brewerytown the other day and noticed the back of a blighted building on Marston Street through a vacant lot on 27th Street.
Turning the corner, we immediately remembered that we had written about this block previously, a little over a year ago. We had even covered the building in question, but at the time we didn't realize you could see its rear so clearly.
When we last visited this block, we told you that the building at 1327-33 N. Marston St., a former milk depot, had been purchased by developers that creatively named their development entity Marston Street Milk Depot LLC. At the time, the developers were working to resolve some violations on the building and to make it safe. There were no zoning or building permits pulled at the time, but we mentioned that they could convert the building to a 17-unit apartment building by right. And that's exactly what they're doing! The project will mean an addition to the existing structure, squaring it off as a three-story building. Surely this will improve the views on Marston Street and on 27th Street too, at least until that vacant lot gets redeveloped.
Just a few doors to the north at 1341 N. Marston St., we noticed a demolition notice on a one-story garage. Developers purchased this building, along with its neighbor at 1339 N. Marston St., over the summer. As the notice suggests, the corner property will get torn down. The developers are taking a different approach next door, and are planning a two-story addition. Once the construction is finished, each building will have four apartment units. Combined with the other project, that's 25 new units coming to this block in the coming year.
Sadly, we don't see any activity around the vacant building at 1335-37 N. Marston, on the right hand side of the image above. That property is privately owned and would make for a fabulous renovation, but it hasn't been listed for sale and we don't see any active permits. Alas, it seems it will continue to sit empty and blighted for the time being.