A reader tipped us off about some construction activity on a hidden street in Francisville, the 800 block of Opal Street. Running for just one block between Parrish and Poplar Streets, hardly anyone would know about this quasi-alley if not for the fact that it bisects the totally adorable Ogden Park.

Looking west

Looking east

For those unfamiliar with this relatively new green space, the formerly vacant, overgrown, and trashed lots were cleaned up by community members back in 2008, spearheaded by Francisville Neighborhood Development Corporation. It’s always great to see a neighborhood come together to produce a public space that everybody can enjoy.

And now, new homeowners will have a very short commute to enjoy this green space. According to a zoning application from about two years ago, the developers intend to build two four story homes on either side of a garage that will apparently be modeled off of a historic carriage house on the 2000 block of Cambridge Street.

Digging foundations

We're expecting a look similar to this

This carriage house was apparently designed by Otto Wolf in 1894, and originally used as the private carriage house of Christian Schmidt, founder of Schmidt’s Brewery whose name lives on at the Piazza at Schmidt’s, in Northern Liberties. If these new homes take several of these design elements, they will surely be among the sweeter new construction homes in the city.

We expect that we’ll get some renderings for this project soon, and we’ll pass them along when they come in.