When we’re trying to head south through Center City, Juniper Street is occasionally our route of choice. And so for years, we’ve pondered 521 S. Juniper St., a long-blighted home a few doors from South Street on an otherwise charming block. Looking back to 2009, you can see it’s been in rough shape for at least that long and probably longer.

Yuck

Recently, we passed by this property and noticed that it’s looking… well, maybe not better, but definitely different. Windows on the northern side of the building have been replaced and the facade appears to have been taken off. Looking at the (more handy every day) L&I website, we noticed that building permits for this property were updated a couple of weeks ago.

Recent shot

Looking south down Juniper, 1352 Lofts in the distance

We’d have guessed that a new owner had stepped in here, but public record indicates the same party has owned it since 2007. Hopefully, whatever was holding back the building’s renovation to this point has been resolved, and things should continue to move full speed ahead. We’d guess that for the neighbors on the block, this would be welcome news indeed.