A neighbor reached out recently, wondering about 827 Carpenter St., a one-story garage that's just steps from the hustle and bustle of the Italian Market. This property has caught their attention of late, as a two-story addition has appeared atop the building. 

New addition at 827 Carpenter St.

Perhaps the people who reached out live in one of the new Mildred Court homes

We'd imagine this building has been used historically for storage- until recently it was owned by members of the Esposito family. But moving forward, it appears it will be somebody's home. New owners bought the building at the end of last year and got approval from the ZBA to build a two-story residential addition at the property. The first floor will remain a 2000 sqft garage, providing the residents with a space to store a collection of antique cars or something like that. The layout of the addition will be quite unique, with decks to the north and south, an incredibly high ceiling for the living and dining rooms, and angled walls that should make furniture placement a challenge. On the plus side, the setback will give the neighboring buildings some room to breathe.

Floor plan for the building

Project rendering

What a great addition this project will be for a block that's already seen a ton of change in recent years. Remember, the Mildred Court project has seven of its twenty-five homes fronting this block of Carpenter Street. On the south side of the block, the Olive Townhome project wrapped up last year. And at the end of the block (actually on the other side of 8th Street), an Italian taproom is in the works for a long-vacant property.

We wonder, could a similar fate be in store for similar one-story properties near the Italian Market? Or is this a one-off thing, probably never to be repeated?