New residents could move into thirty or forty units in the four-story southern wing of The Croydon at 49th & Locust in West Philly by late fall, according to Scott Oren of Orens Brothers, the owner and developer of the building.

The Croydon

While that’s weeks behind the originally estimated September end point we wrote about last winter, it still means part of a renovated new building is coming in the next couple of months. Renovations will be completed in two or three phases, according to Oren, with the second phase concluding by late spring 2014. The renovation timeline is based upon the two four-story buildings that flank an eight-story center building. The southern wing, seen on the right when looking at the front of the building, will be finished first, and contain a mix of one, two, and three bedroom units.

“We’re on budget,” said Orens. “ […] We’re a little bit behind in terms of time … that’s always the case.”

Under construction

Closer look

Orens Brothers is still negotiating with the City about acquiring ownership of a dejected City-owned lot nearby at 49th & Spruce.

When we passed by last week, the site had a significantly cleaned up appearance. Many of the window openings sported new windows, and new HVAC ducts could be seen hanging among new framing inside. It’s been years since this site has had any sort of development work. Perhaps once work here concludes, the success the Orens Brothers has in filling the 127-units will serve as an inspiration for the reawakening of the Apple Lofts project a bit south of here, near 52nd & Baltimore. For now, we’ll be eyeing the Croydon and wondering how soon that graffiti near the roof will be removed.

–Lou Mancinelli