Somehow, the corner of 20th and Fitzwater Sts., home to neighborhood spots Beauty Shop Cafe and Raja Yoga, has become a nexus for new residential development in the Graduate Hospital neighborhood.

Beauty Shop Cafe

Directly to the east, Michael Carosella is finishing up the final house of his six home development at the site of the former Metropolitan AME Church. Most of the homes are already occupied, and the not-yet-occupied homes are all under contract. Including the still unfinished 723 S. 20th St.

Just one house still to go

Further down 20th St., two more homes are under construction. At 749 S. 20th St., a vacant lot since at least 2002, owner Mark Zwick is constructing a single family home with a garage. 753 S. 20th St. will replace a building that burned down in 2007. The teal and gray building next door, which also burned at that time, has been only partially restored and is still vacant. And no, we don’t know why the owner chose those colors for the stucco.

749 S. 20th St.

753 S. 20th St. Note the ugliness next door

Meanwhile, the Flatz@2015, located at 2015 Fitzwater St., are rapidly approaching completion. We initially told you about this project back in June. It looks different from anything else in the neighborhood and that’s kind of a good thing, right?

Something new and different in Grad Hospital?!?

All this construction just goes to show you that this neighborhood is still going strong. It’s not like it was five years ago when there was construction on almost every single block, but the fact that the few remaining lots are now being developed shows that demand remains high for housing.

Now if only the folks in this neighborhood had a few more dining and entertainment options…