For many years, we’ve wondered about 1036-38 N. 4th St., a seemingly vacant warehouse that’s even bigger than it looks at first glance. On its front is a peeling sign advertising a real estate auction from several years ago that apparently never happened, covering a sign for Liberty Self Storage, a business we’re guessing has been off the map for a decade or more.

The building

But that’s not even all of the building! It wraps around the adjacent property, and extends all the way to the corner of Leithgow & George. On George Street, there’s another garage entrance.

The ugly stucco building on the right is part of the property on 4th Street

The building went to sheriff’s sale last year but it seems it was stayed. The owners, 1036 N 4th Street Associates, were tax delinquent over several years, but appear to be paying down their debts. That being said, there are still lots of violations on the property, many of which have still not been resolved.

We've seen worse, but not many

With a double-wide lot, two (possibly legal) garages, and multiple frontages, this property would seem like a no-brainer to subdivide and convert into loft apartments. In fact, according to the Zoning Archive, that’s exactly what was proposed back in 2004. Does anybody in the neighborhood know what happened to those plans? Is there any hope that the owners would revisit those plans? Or might they consider selling off the property to somebody who could make the project a reality?