At the bottom of Fabric Row, at 4th & Queen, a collection of buildings are under construction as part of a project that's transforming a long-lousy corner. Previously, the southwest corner of this intersection contained a collection of stucco-covered buildings that were probably quite old, but altered beyond recognition from their original condition.
Over the summer, we brought you to this corner as renovations were just getting underway. A laundromat that had lived here for years had closed down, and the facade of the corner building and several more to the south were getting work done. Passing by the other day, the construction has stepped up several notches.
For the corner building, the height has been bumped up several feet, now exceeding that of the building next door. A few doors down, two stories have been added atop a former garage. New bays have appeared, and several storefront windows have been carved out, making the space more attractive for retail tenants down the road. And thankfully, the two intact cornices look like they're being preserved.
A reader pointed us to a website for this project, which is called 404 Queen. There, we discovered a rendering for this bad boy.
When all is said and done, this corner will have seventeen new apartments and a large new retail space. The commercial space, at around 3,100 sqft, is being positioned as a restaurant possibility, and it will have two chases to accommodate kitchen ventilation for a future tenant. That space could also be subdivided into two smaller spaces, but you'd have to think a larger space would attract a more attractive business. The contemporary look of the building will certainly stand out in Queen Village, a neighborhood that's home to many historic buildings, but we're generally of the mindset that it's better to go for contrast than weak imitation of historic architecture. And whether you like the style or not, you have to admit it's a huge upgrade over what we had here before.
Now it's time to start wondering about what kind of tenant will come to the commercial space. What do you want to see?