It's really not fair to single out one blighted property in the neighborhoods surrounding Temple. Despite the impressive number of projects in the area in recent years, there are still too many blighted buildings and vacant lots for us to count. So why, of all the vacant buildings in this part of town, do we bring 1731 Master St. to your attention today?
The forest growing out of the building was what first drew our attention. Looking at some historical images from Google Street View, it's clear the building has had an ivy problem for years. But it's only recently that the ivy has become much more aggressive, seemingly intent on swallowing the building whole. This would indeed be a shame, because the building has some terrific bones.
And even though it's a bit of a hike to Temple's campus, we have seen development nearby. Just across the street, on the southwest corner of 18th & Master, developers have been (very slowly) renovating a blighted building into a retail space and three apartment units. And on the 1800 block of Master Street, different developers built a row of duplexes a couple years back which we imagine are used for student housing.
So perhaps you're wondering why the owners of 1731 Master St. are willing to let the building sit vacant while the ivy takes over. And maybe you're hoping, as we were, that the owners are tax delinquent and the property will soon go to sheriff's sale. Well, a sheriff's sale ain't gonna happen. That's because the Redevelopment Authority owns the property and they've had it since 1998. Will they sell it off next month? Will they sell it off in ten years? Nobody knows. And in the meantime, the forces of nature will continue to conspire to wipe out a structure that looks like it could still be repurposed. And as the ivy continues to grow, the building will continue to bring down the surrounding neighborhood.