Across the street from where there are plans to transform a huge vacant lot at 27th & Girard into a four-story mixed-use building with ground floor retail, on the north side of the block, improvements have steadily been coming along to a three-story building with ground-floor retail space. This building stands next door to a new pizza shop that was renovated and opened within the past year at the northeast corner of this intersection. And two doors down, at 2631-35 Girard Ave., a new daycare opened relatively recently.

Northeast corner

Southeast corner

According to Google Maps, the building currently getting a new facade was last the home of B&H Auto Parts. And the building was in terrible shape. Permits were recently issued for a rear addition, a roof deck, and other major interior renovations.

In the past

Ongoing rehab, new facade almost done

The two new businesses and the building currently being rehabbed are three more signs of new interest and energy on the West Girard commercial corridor and Brewerytown in general. That corridor has been cultivated somewhat by the art of Steven Powers, who recently painted a mural for musician Kurt Vile along the El in Fishtown. Powers runs Icy Signs out of an MMPartners storefront at 2819 Girard. MMPartners have been one of the forerunners in the Brewerytown redevelopment and are the group poised to develop the huge lot at 27th & Girard.

Much like the Baltimore Avenue commercial corridor in West Philly, spots along Girard are filling in one by one. RyBread is poised to open a second location at 2816 Girard Ave., a satellite Mugshots location has been operating here for a couple of years, and there are various other newish businesses like a bike shop, and the aforementioned pizza shop and daycare. We wonder what the plans are for 2637 Girard Ave. once the renovation is complete. There are also a few other spots along Girard that are vacant that we would not be surprised to see filled in the next year or so as the West Girard commercial corridor continues to expand its horizons.

–Lou Mancinelli