A reader reached out the other day, wondering about some renovation taking place on 16th Street, around the corner from the Scottish Rite House in the Graduate Hospital neighborhood. When we went to investigate, we found ourselves so struck by the building next door at 727 S. 16th St. that we didn't really care much about the construction that brought us there in the first place. We've surely passed by this property dozens of times over the years but somehow we never noticed it until just the other day.
This building has all kinds of wonderful architectural details that separate it from its neighbors. The front door and window openings on the third floor are curved at the top. No other properties nearby have similar stone details on the second and third floor, or a juliet balcony. The cornice is also quite unique, and reminds us of some Bella Vista buildings that were originally constructed as banks.
The building last changed hands about fifteen years ago, with the owner paying a mere $87,500. At the time that was probably the right number for a property which had been subdivided into four units with tenants paying between $250 and $750 per month. Now, of course, the property is worth much more, and we'd guess that the rental rates have climbed significantly.
Moving forward, we could see someone buying this property at some point with an eye toward renovating it into a high-end, unique, single family home. And we'd certainly posit that the look of the building will be a strong selling point. In this neighborhood, which has a rough reputation for new construction architecture, this building is one of the gems which should be polished for many years to come. Or hey, alternately someone could tear it down and replace it with a new home with a stucco bay.