Yesterday, we were walking down 21st Street and were surprised to discover some serious interior demolition taking place at 2064 Saint Albans St., a corner property. This home seemed to be in decent condition, though perhaps a little worn down, and now it’s been thoroughly gutted.

From the north

Closer look

From the south

Our first thought was that this would be a rehab similar to the still-incomplete one that we told you about many months ago at the corner of 21st & Webster. As you can see in the photos below, the developers at this property took an existing home with some really unattractive features and prettied it up considerably.

In the past

Current view is a remarkable improvement

Then, instead of speculating, we decided to check out the L&I Map to see what permits were pulled for the rehab. It turns out that the developers, Solomon Pascal Prop Mgmt Inc, who purchased the property at the end of last year for $225K, are adding a third story onto the building. While this has proven to be an issue for the neighborhood’s Zoning Committee in other situations, this particular project is by right because it’s located on the corner. The owners have hired Shraga Studios to do the architecture work, the same firm that designed 2.0 University Place at 41st & Powelton, a project that’s now approaching completion.

We’ll check back in on this project a few months from now, once the addition goes up and we can make some judgements on how things are looking. Maybe by then the rehab down the street will be finished too.