Though Frankford Avenue is just a few steps away in South Kensington, a section of Front Street is beginning to reassert its long lost status as a commercial corridor. Just a couple of years ago, the intersection of Front & Master was home to just one business, the El Bar. On the other corners you'd have found an apartment building, a vacant former distillery with wonderful bones, and a one-story garage with less wonderful bones. But changes have come quickly.
About two years ago, we were excited to share the news that the aforementioned garage on the northwest corner was getting converted into a restaurant. By the end of 2014, Good Spoon Soupery had opened their retail location, giving fans from farmers' markets a place to get their soup on the regular. They did a fine job converting the building, too.
On the southeast corner, we first wondered about the old Wm. Mulherin's Sons building back in 2012. At that time, it was vacant, with most of the windows boarded up, but we could see its potential shining through. Apparently we weren't alone, as a group that includes Chris Painter and the folks from Pitruco Pizza have opened an Italian restaurant in the restored building, amazingly naming the restaurant Wm. Mulherin's Sons.
If we could turn our attentioned back to the photo of the Good Spoon Soupery from above, we'd also like to point out there's some new framing going on just a few doors down from the restaurant. Over at 113 Master St., developers are constructing a three-unit condo building with two-car parking. It was formerly a vacant lot.
As a fun exercise, let's imagine that in half a year, you move into this new condo building. On a Saturday, you could walk a few steps and have some tasty soup for lunch. Later that evening, you could then take just a few more steps to your east, enjoy a fancy Italian dinner, and then head back toward home, stopping at the El bar for a nightcap. Seems like an absurdly convenient dining experience for someone who living only twenty paces from the El, no?