The south side of Frankford Avenue has been on our radar for months. Considering all of the commercial activity on the block where already sit the Handle Bar, Barcade, Barbary and more, we wondered what else could soon happen around these parts.

The answer to our question is… there’s a ton of potential. First, we stumbled upon the fact and broke the story the Michael Samschick, of Core Realty, has acquired the large warehouse that extends almost the length of the block between Richmond Street and Delaware Avenue. We also came upon 1101-1103 Frankford Ave., a warehouse that’s ripe for renovation. And just across the street, 1039-55 Frankford Ave. sits unfinished, a stalled condo conversion that’s been tied up in court for several years.

1039-55 Frankford Ave.

Gibor Partners, based in Bala Cynwyd, purchased the 52K sqft property about a year ago for $1.25M at sheriff’s sale. Currently, the five-story warehouse is stuck in the midst of being transformed into condos, a process that began back in 2006 and hasn’t really progressed in years. According to the Workshop of the World site, this building has had numerous uses in its history, including a hosiery factory (it was associated with the building across the street and the two were even connected at one point), a knitting mill, a yarn factory, a furniture shop, a trunk manufacturer, and a t-shirt company.

Both buildings at this intersection

From what we understand, the new owners are offering this property along with the building across the street for sale. While the properties continue to be fought over in court, we don’t see any potential investors stepping forward. But once everything is resolved, legally? Paging Mr. Samschick…

–Lou Mancinelli