Immediately to the east of the Saint Anthony's Senior Center on the 1900 block of Christian Street, a row of buildings have uglied up the block for quite some time. 1929-33 Christian St. were home to the Christian Medical Center several years ago, but the buildings got some work done maybe five years back, with a fresh coat of stucco on the first floor. We kind of thought they were converted to apartments at that time, but the property has seemingly been sitting vacant instead. Update: A commenter says that they were, in fact, apartments.

In the past, through the trees

We can't find a great image of the buildings' look thanks to the large trees out front, but you can see two boring glass doors, a bunch of stucco, tiny windows, two floors of vinyl siding, and an unexpectedly lovely cornice. Pass by these properties today and you'll see something entirely different.

Current view

Big difference, right? As you can see, the stucco is stripped, the vinyl is gone, and the cornices are thankfully still there. Taking a closer look, you get a really good appreciation for just how mangled these buildings have been in recent memory.

Closer look at the first floor

These properties must have been amazing once upon a time. You can see where the old doors and windows on the first floor have been sealed, and there are some busted up remains of brownstone details on two of the buildings. You can also see the original window openings, calling for much larger windows than we see today.

Developers bought the properties a couple years back at sheriff's sale, and has now pulled interior demolition permits. They're planning two units in each of the buildings, and we'd have to imagine they'll be cleaning up the facades in a big way as part of the renovation. It stands to reason the sealed doors and windows will be brought back into circulation, and just about everything will have to be replaced inside. Sadly, in contrast to the exteriors, it seems unlikely that any original details are hiding inside. But you never know.