The three lots at 613-617 N. 11th St. have been sitting vacant for quite a long time, remaining in this state even as numerous projects have popped up on surrounding blocks in the neighborhood. When we went past these properties the other day though, we found that the situation had changed.
Looking at the trail of public record, it appears that all three of these properties were owned by the City of Philadelphia at one point, though a neighbor on the block purchased them over the years. 613 N 11th St. was bought in 1987 at a nominal price, while the other two properties sold a little over a decade ago, each for $45K. If we're reading public record correctly, it appears as though developers bought the three properties about a year ago, paying $180K for each. Uh, that's a pretty strong return right there. Now the new owners are well on their way to building three quadplexes, and we'd guess the units will be offered as condos.
As we mentioned before, there are numerous other projects that have happened nearby, one of which is still very much under construction. This time last year, we told you that another Spring Arts Point phase was moving forward, with ten new homes coming to the 1000 block of Mount Vernon Street. Checking in on those homes today, we see there's been quite a bit of progress in the year that's passed. To the north of the new quadplexes, you may recall there was a major residential project that happened a couple of years ago, as a mix of duplexes and new homes replaced the Ruffin Nichols Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Church and school. As you may recall, the new buildings aren't quite as impressive as the demolished church.
The construction of these three duplexes eliminates yet another vacant patch in West Poplar, but many more still remain. Still, we'll be looking for additional projects in the near future to continue to reduce the number of vacant lots in the neighborhood.