At 18th & Girard, across the street from the stately Church of the Gesu and Saint Joe's Prep, an old building that appears long shuttered and runs up next to a vacant triangular lot on Ridge Avenue has us thinking one thing: opportunity. For evidence, consider the range of development nearby.
Consider first the rampant development that's swept over the 19th & Poplar intersection in the last couple of years. And parlay that with a dozen new three-story single-family homes recently built on Ginnodo Street. And now consider thirty new units that will soon arrive a couple blocks away at the corner of Corinthian Street. That’s over a hundred new residents either arrived or coming soon within a short walk of this building, which last contained a dry-cleaners, if our eyes don’t deceive us. One possible issue is that the building is rumored to be collapsing in on itself, which might limit the potential of the investment.
1802 W. Girard Ave. last sold in 2011 for $38,500. It was recently on the market for $117,500, but the listing expired. The building is situated on a triangular plot of land rife with blight and vacancy. We documented the blight here, right next door to the building for sale, along the 1800 block of Ridge two years ago, back when the aforementioned Ginnodo Street project had just kicked off. We’ve never visited Last Chance Lounge, but we don’t imagine it’s doing any favors for the building next door. At least according to their one Yelp review.
Sure, the building here at 1802 W. Girard Ave. is a mess. But it seems the time could be ripe for a developer to step in on this bustling area of renewal and help contribute to the revitalization of Ridge Ave. and Girard Ave. at the same time. All these people have come to the area, now they need places to spend their money!