There’s a little stretch of Jefferson Street in South Kensington, between N. American and N. Bodine Streets, where three different projects are currently at various stages and two others have occurred within the last few years. Considering that there’s only seven properties on this mini-block, that’s a pretty amazing situation.
We first visited this block a few years back when a vacant lot at 245 Jefferson St. was being transformed into the “Hush House.” That funky looking home with numerous green features sold for $317,500 four years ago and we’d guess that it would sell at a much higher price if it were offered for sale today. Immediately, next door, developers bought 243 Jefferson St. for less than $50K about a year ago, and now they’re building a new home here. Though the lot is rather skinny, at 13.5′ wide, we’d still expect them to find a buyer with ease.
Skipping the next home, as it’s occupied and not under construction, we turn our eyes to 239 Jefferson St., a vacant home that’s been sealed up. We don’t think that’s giving any pause to the developers that own 237 Jefferson St., as their efforts to build a new home on a formerly vacant lot seem to be continuing unabated. The building next door, at 235 Jefferson St., was recently renovated from top to bottom and now has a new facade and a new addition in the rear.
Finally, we look to the end of the block, where a one-story warehouse at 1500 N. American St. has been demolished. We told you this would happen over a year ago, and with the warehouse now gone we can soon expect a ground-floor art gallery with an owners-unit apartment above. Considering the Crane Arts building is located just a block away, this artistic mixed-use plan makes all kinds of sense. Of course, with the relentless development activity we’ve seen in this neighborhood, it wouldn’t be shocking to hear about a Crane Arts condo conversion somewhere down the line.