We were up in Kensington the other day and this ongoing construction caught our eye.

Looks decent

According to the neighbors, a decent looking home stood at 1332 Palethorp St., until just a few years ago. Since the current owner purchased the lot in 2009, he’s been working on the property himself, mostly on weekends. A year from now, the place might be done.

The block could use the help. Several of the parcels on this block serve as rear yards for homes on Hancock St., but there are at least a dozen vacant lots that are just waiting to be built. The two newer-looking homes with bay windows have been constructed in the past couple of years and while we’re not wild about their (entirely too common nowadays) look, the mere fact that they’ve been built speaks to the demand in the neighborhood.

Looking north, west side of the street

And the east side

As we’ve covered in recent weeks, large projects like the American Studios and the one at 2nd and Oxford Sts. are making lots of noise in Kensington, but small, one-off projects also have a place in remaking the neighborhood. And for an area that’s fallen on hard times in recent decades, every little bit helps.