A reader checked in the other day, wondering about 1009 S. 7th St., a building that lost its facade awhile ago, and is still waiting for it to be replaced. Looking at Google Maps from 2011, you can see the bricks were still there…

Third building from the corner

But as the photos below reveal, the facade has now been missing for long enough that the plywood temporarily covering the front of the building has gotten tagged aggressively.

Current view

Closer look

According to the zoning archive, the most recent facade was put up back in the 1940s, when this location contained a grocery with an apartment above. We don’t recall what was in the first floor space most recently, though we do seem to recall some kind of market in the two properties immediately to the south several years back. Does anyone else remember this or are we simply hallucinating?

The property, along with the two aforementioned properties to the south, have been owned by the same family since at least the 1930s. Looking at the L&I Map, it seems that the facade for the property pictured above was bulging and subject to several violations, which is why it came down in the first place. While the permit for a new facade was originally pulled back in 2011, it was modified in May and a new permit was issued last month.

So despite the delays, it seems that this property will finally get a new brick front. Whether that means that a new business will soon be moving to the first floor is anybody’s guess, but you know we’ll let you know if we hear anything of the sort.