Last year, a new mixed-use building appeared on the corner of 19th & Fairmount, replacing a long vacant lot and covering a mural of Noam Chomsky. And while some neighbors may miss the public art, their sorrows are at least partially drowned by the presence of the wonderful Tela's Market & Kitchen on the ground floor of this building. In our book, a bunch of apartments plus a vibrant commercial space is the perfect addition to Fairmount Avenue where Spring Garden meets Francisville

A couple of weeks ago, the same developer that brought us the aforementioned building broke ground on another project just a couple blocks away. 1720 Fairmount Ave. has for years been a vacant lot used for the storage of bricks and stone. When we passed by the other day thanks to a reader tip, we discovered that construction is underway at this location.

Under construction

We actually told you about this project last summer, as the developers were planning to go before the ZBA. The four-story project will include eighteen apartments, with a mix of one and two-bedroom units. The roof will have a communal deck. The developers are actively discussing the 3,600 sqft first floor commercial space with a couple of different tenants, though nobody has signed a lease just yet. So if you think this space would work for your business, let us know and we can connect you to the developers. One thing is certain, whoever takes that retail space will have a shiny new building to enjoy and a ton of retail frontage.

Elevation drawing

Project rendering

We also told you last year that the adjacent deco building would be getting fixed up eventually. It hasn't happened yet- perhaps the construction next door will move that effort along. The new building plus a renovated neighbor would go a long way to reinvigorating this block of Fairmount Avenue. And hopefully the remaining vacant lots and buildings will soon follow in their footsteps.