For decades, Trenton China Pottery sold restaurant and kitchen supplies to restaurateurs and amateur chefs alike out of their large (and underheated) space at 2nd & Arch. Some years ago, the store closed and the buildings have been vacant ever since. In 2011, new owners purchased the property for $1.4M after it sat on the market for years. And last year, 105 N 2nd Street Investors LP purchased the buildings that once housed the restaurant supply store for a tidy $3.5M. But it wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that construction started here.
According to the L&I Map, the developers are building out 43 apartment units along with a retail space on the first floor. While this may seem like an amazing number of units for the property, there's actually over 40K sqft to be found there, according to public record. And we think there might be even more space. So the units won't be huge, but they will certainly be well located. And let's together be grateful that the developers are saving the buildings and reusing them, as was being unsuccessfully attempted a couple blocks away.
The fact that this project is finally taking place makes us wonder about the fate of the National building next door.
Two years ago, we told you about plans for 123 new residential units in this building. To our knowledge, that project hasn't moved progressed since. Hopefully, the progress at the TCP building will lead to new developments next door. If that redevelopment does indeed come to fruition in the near future, this block will be completely transformed with almost two-hundred new apartment units. Seems that soon, First Fridays could be getting just a little more crowded. Not a bad thing, if you ask us.