It's still kind of flabbergasting to us that there are any blighted or vacant buildings in Old City. We've documented several over the years, and there are even more that we haven't touched on. Take, for instance, 18 N. 3rd St., which sits only a handful of steps from the corner of 3rd & Market which has seen considerable change in the last few months. You may recall, the former Shirt Corner building disappeared last month and will soon be replaced by a mixed-use project that includes a new CVS. And last week, the former Suit Corner went up in flames, and we can speculate that those buildings will likewise be demolished as a result.
The other day, we spotted a dumpster outside of 18 N. 3rd St., a building which we've surely noticed in the past, but didn't necessarily realize was vacant. Looking at it though, it certainly doesn't look so great. Peering up at the facade, we see at least a couple of windows are missing.
A listing from a few years back tells us that the building was demoed inside at least half a decade ago. It's been owned by the same developers since 2010 according to public record, but maybe a recent sale that hasn't yet been posted is an explanation for work now getting underway. According to the L&I Map, the developers are adding onto the back of the building and creating nine apartment units on the upper four floors. The first floor will be a commercial space to be filled later.
With Old City losing several buildings already this year, it's really great to see that 18 N. 3rd St. will stay with us and soon be redeveloped. We'll be interested to see whether they're able to make any changes to the facade, or whether it will maintain its current industrial look. Hopefully, it will be something that honors the building's history but adapts to contemporary needs. More windows, for example, would be a great start.