A new building, now under construction, will contribute to the slow revitalization we've been eyeing on the 800 block of North Broad Street. When we passed by recently, we saw the new building at 826 N. Broad St., just below Broad & Parrish.
The four-story structure is being developed by Konkrete Investments (seriously, visit their website, it's amazing) and is designed by Harman Deutsch, according to online permits. There will be four apartments here, and maybe a retail space too, we can't quite tell. The building, now framed out and and with windows installed, replaces an old three story structure that most recently housed a bike shop. The store last operated back in 2007 from what we can gather. In the years since, the signage slowly degraded. Then the building was demolished earlier this year.
Just a block to the west, there's plenty going on along the 1500 block of Parrish Street. First, there is a four-story mixed-use project that will have three apartments and ground-floor commercial. At 1517 Parrish St., developers are converting a former warehouse into three apartments. And a block north of that at 15th & Poplar, we recently shared plans for ten new apartments on two parcels at a long vacant lot that's been used for years as a parking lot.
While the real estate along North Broad slowly improves, new street medians and a lighting project are small details that point to a wider revitalization effort. Of course, a revived Divine Lorraine could give various efforts on North Broad Street a big shot in the arm. A half-dozen blocks to the north, widespread redevelopment at Temple is also contributing to improvements. So we see a combination of projects, large and small, private and public, weaving a new narrative for North Broad Street. And just think, we're only in the middle of the story.