A reader gave us the heads up that some old, abandoned looked buildings were on the outs on the corner of 16th & Ridge, so we headed over to check it out. Turns out they weren’t kidding. We indeed found a pile of rubble when we arrived on the scene.

In the past

Today

Another angle

According to public record, these properties were purchased by in December by David Killingsworth for $6,000 each, a really (really) low price. This gentleman owns 1549-51, and 55-57, while a church appears to own 1553 Ridge Ave., right in the middle. We can’t seem to dig up any information on these properties or their owner- has anybody in the neighborhood heard anything about this project?

Meanwhile, just to the north, an abandoned project that got as far as pouring one foundation had become totally overgrown over the course of the summer. We’ve been optimistic that this project would come back to life at some point, especially considering the rapid development on nearby blocks, as well as the active but somewhat less rapid development on adjacent blocks.

Corner of 15th and Ogden

Hopefully, the demolition on Ridge Ave. will result in new construction soon, and the parcels won’t look like the jungle above at any point. And while we’re at it, maybe we can redevelop the mostly vacant 1600 block of Ogden Street? Just thinking out loud here…