A couple months ago, we brought 1141 N. Front St. to your attention. Construction had recently gotten started at this long vacant lot on the Fishtown/Northern Liberties border, and we shared the details that a 6-story mixed-use building with 43 apartments, 13 parking spaces, and roughly 1,800 sqft of retail space was in the works. We were naturally stoked about the project, not only because of the elimination of yet another vacant lot, but also because it offered further evidence of developer enthusiasm for properties right next to the El. We’ve seen countless projects rise along Front Street in recent years, with projects stretching for a mile north of here, all the way up to Kensington Avenue. And compared to the most recent project in this immediate area, car vending machine concept Carvana, this felt like far more natural development.

You can see, there hasn’t been a ton of progress in the short time since we first told you about this project, so perhaps you’re wondering why we’re back here. In short, it’s all about the renderings, baby. We stumbled onto renderings of this project on the Callahan Ward website, and thought they looked pretty sweet, and we figured we’d share ’em with you. Since, you know, that’s kind of what we do. Also, we learned that the project is called El Magnet and we have to confess that for a solid few seconds we wondered why they gave the project a Spanish name. Once you’re done laughing at us, please credit Interface Studio Architects for the pretty pictures below.

Not only do these images show a contemporary building with a strong street presence despite the looming presence of the El , but they also show what we can only imagine is a 2nd phase of the project. We don’t see any permits for the second building at this point, but have to imagine it’ll offer similar density, some more parking, and additional retail. As was the case with the building now under construction, we’re thrilled that this project would fill yet another sizable vacant lot and would add even more vibrancy to a burgeoning corridor. And maybe the combined might of these two buildings could result in better days for the nearby Spring Garden Station, to boot.