A triangular building located at 1722 Ridge Ave. has confounded us for quite some time. A reader recently reminded us about it, and we felt compelled to try to learn what we could about the history of this little spot.

The building

The lot upon which this building sits is created by the tight intersection of Poplar Street with diagonal Ridge Avenue and Vineyard Street. The little lot has a rough looking one-story green structure that looks like it could blow over from the force of a minor breeze. Along with the little green building, there’s a fenced-in area that’s a real eyesore. Public record says that the parcel is over 1,300 sqft, but we’d guess it’s maybe half that size.

Closer look

Looking at the zoning archive, it appears that a very small gas station was once located here. About thirty years ago, it was converted into a restaurant of some kind, with a couple of takeout windows. Cheesesteaks, perhaps? Once the restaurant closed, it looks as though the building fell into some disrepair, though in recent years some illegal mattress sales appear to have taken place, if a recent violation is to be believed. Can any neighbors confirm this?

From the north

Back in October, the property owner went to L&I to get a new use permit for the property, to allow for retail sales of consumer goods. Was this an attempt to legalize mattress sales at this location, or is this for some different use? People of Francisville, we imagine that you know more about this building than we do; can anyone shed some additional light on it? And is there any way to get it cleaned up to look at least a little more presentable?