As the weather warms up (today notwithstanding) and the trees bloom, green space is getting more and more use around town. It's quite possible that people who hadn't visited Julian Abele Park for a few months and found themselves back there recently were surprised to discover 2132 Montrose St., one of the buildings adjacent to the park, getting demolished. Of course, had they read our story from last September, they'd have seen it coming a mile, or at least seven months, away.
This building has an interesting recent history which we'll now recount for those that don't feel like clicking through to the old story. Half a dozen years ago, before the park even existed, it was a major nuisance property for the block. Then developer and former restaurateur Ilkur Ugur purchased the property, got rid of the problem tenants and cleaned up the property a little, also adding the mural you see in the first photo above. Soon after, he came to the community with a plan to demolish the structure and replace it with a four-story mixed-use building that would have featured parkside cafe dining on the bottom two floors with residential above. But the project fell through and didn't even get to the ZBA. Ever since then, it's been sitting vacant, at least beautifying the park.
Last year, we told you that a new developer had purchased the building and came to a SOSNA zoning meeting with a plan for demolition and a new single family home with a garage. People seemed like they were generally okay with the project, especially after seeing photos of the inside of the building showing missing joists which jeopardized the building's structural integrity. With the building now gone, we imagine construction will soon get moving on the new home. Here's a rendering to give you an idea of what we can expect.
As drawn, the wall facing the park will be sheathed in brick and paneling and won't include a new mural. That's a bit of a bummer, but maybe the new Bernie Sanders mural down the street will inspire the builder to change their mind. How about a HIllary Clinton mural? A Donald Trump mural? John Kasich?