We found ourselves in Northern Liberties earlier today and noticed a large crew working on 811-815 N. 2nd St., an imposing, five story property. As recently as a couple of years ago, this was a vacant lot, with the building formerly occupying the land having been torn down some years before. From what we can tell, the last owners of the property didn’t do a great job paying their mortgage and the property went to foreclosure. The current owners, we believe, purchased the half-built building earlier this year.

Scaffolding

Looking back at the real estate listings for this parcel from a few years back, prior owners got zoning approval for ten condos with ten parking spaces on the first floor, with one of the ten condos offered as a commercial condo. The building as its currently being built is designed by Harman Deutsch.

So does anyone know the scoop with this building? Was our sleuthing on the mark that the place went to sheriff sale halfway through construction? Are the developers still going with ten condos and ten parking spaces? Have they come back before NLNA to explain any changes?

And perhaps even most importantly, can someone who lives in the neighborhood explain why 2nd St. is so up and down between the Piazza and Spring Garden St.? We remember maybe ten years ago when almost all of the action in the neighborhood revolved around 2nd St., with 700 Club, Liberty Bar and Standard Tap leading the charge as the neighborhood changed. It’s a little unexpected that, in spite of the rampant redevelopment in the neighborhood in the intervening years, there are still so many vacant, underutilized buildings and empty lots on this street. Anyone have any insight or thoughts?

Case in point? And it's next to an open lot, too.

Maybe we’ll start a running feature on some of those buildings and lots on 2nd Street, and attempt to highlight them to hopefully shame some owners into selling them off.