As we were triumphantly returning home from a successful trip to the new Fresh Grocer over the weekend, we spied a pile of bricks on the 2700 block of Federal Street, just off of Grays Ferry Avenue. We initially figured this to be the site of the (maybe) upcoming Marval Treats store, but then realized that store is (probably never) coming to the 2700 block of Annin Street. So what's happening on Federal Street?
The short answer is that we have no idea! Previously, a dilapidated two story building spanned 2729-31 Federal St., and that building is now gone. It's a shame, it was a pretty nice looking structure and the building, along with the surrounding greenery, made the billboards next door a little less noticeable.
Examining the Google Street View, it's possible that the pile of bricks was already here and that the building has been taken down cleanly. This combined with the fact that we don't see new ownership in public record gives us an indication that the building was not torn down in advance of new development but was instead demoed by the City. Perhaps someone that lives nearby has some insight?
Meanwhile, if you look at the photo above that's captioned 'Closer look,' you'll notice there are a number of vacant lots next to the pile of bricks. Three lots and the one-story garage have all been bought up by developers over the last couple of years and it's quite possible that we'll see those properties get built here in the near future. After all, the neighborhood just got a shiny new supermarket, Point Breeze is getting more and more expensive, and Pennovation Works is drawing Penn professionals to this side of the river as never before. Some of those people might want to live near work, ya know?