In the spring, we asked you to take a look at 909 Corinthian Ave., noting that MM Partners purchased the five-story building in 2018 and renovated it into 22 apartments. We also shared some of the history of the property, noting that it dated back over a hundred years and was originally constructed as nurse housing for Lankenau Hospital, which operated across the street until 1953. Finally, we mentioned that the developers weren’t yet through with this property and had started work on a second building on the southern portion of the site, replacing surface parking. Obviously, we were thrilled with the trade.

Back then, construction was still in the early stages, with some site work ongoing and an elevator tower rising up. As you might imagine, things have progressed well since that time, with much of the new building now constructed, with the section fronting Corinthian as the notable exception. Remember, this will be a 14-unit project that’s totally separate from the adjacent building, despite the common ownership.

Earlier today, the developers shared some renderings of the finished product on their Instagram feed. And now we’re pleased to share them with you.

The most notable thing about this new building is that the frontages on Cambridge and Corinthian will seemingly fit in very well with the architecture of the surrounding neighborhood. In the post on Instagram, the developers comment on the fact that this was done intentionally, with an eye toward people not necessarily realizing that the building was constructed in 2020. Sure, a trained eye will likely be able to identify the contemporary material choices, especially on the facades that aren’t street facing.

But someone walking or driving past will see the windows and the details on the cornices and will probably assume that the building is older than it is. Certainly, it will blend in with its surroundings better than any building with metal cladding or stucco bay windows ever could. And while we don’t believe that a new building matching its older neighbors is necessarily a desirable outcome in a vacuum, we appreciate it when we see a genuine effort to do it well. And we are pleased to say, that’s very much the case for this project.