We’ve gotten numerous emails about 1318 South St., a double-wide building currently under construction that looks different from just about every other building in the neighborhood.

In the past

About a month ago. The foundation is curved!

And that's why.

Very unusual

Looking north, standing on Clarion St.

The developers, Michael and Mario Carosella, own C&R Building Supply, and have gotten some (virtual) ink on our site for their upcoming project at 18th and Washington and their rapidly progressing construction at 20th and Fitzwater Sts. When we spoke with Michael Carosella, we found out that the new building on South St. will house two high-end bi-level rental apartments and a large first floor commercial space. The commercial space isn’t leased yet, but they intend to market the space once construction moves along a little further.

With regard to the interesting look of the building, Carosella explained “South Street is a very unique street and we wanted to build something that makes a statement. We knocked down the buildings that were there- we could have rehabbed them but we wanted to make something special.” As it turns out, the one building in the area that most closely resembles the new structure sits right next door on Clarion St. The yellow stucco bay on that house also has a slight curve to it, echoing the larger, more pronounced curve of the new building.

The fancy house next door

Whether you love or loathe the Carosellas’ design, you have to admire the brothers for thinking outside the box and taking a risk. Hopefully, the look will inspire some forward-thinking tenant to lease the commercial space on a block that would benefit from additional retail. And with a new high-end development at the corner coming sometime soon, it seems that there will many more customers close by in the near future.