A reader tipped us off the other day that a new structure has risen on little Bank Street, which sits between Chestnut and Market, 2nd and 3rd Streets. For about a decade, 1 Bank St. was home to the Five Spot, a club that also hosted burlesque shows. We frequented the place in the late 1990s, when it felt like the coolest spot in Old City. A fire in 2007 was the end for the place, and the building was eventually demolished. For the last few years, this was the site of our favorite vacant lot use- a surface parking lot.
Last year, the owners applied to subdivide the lot into four separate parcels. Typically, we're able to find out concrete development plans by checking the L&I Map. In this case, when the map didn't provide the info we sought, we turned to the Zoning Archive, where we were able to find the permit applications from last spring. We learned that the developers are building four single-family homes here, which we probably could have figured out just from staring at the site.
Sure, seeing this development rise where the Five Spot once stood is a depressing sight for those of us who remember the place fondly. And yes, the homes won't be quite as fancy as the four homes under construction nearby on Walnut Street. Nevertheless, we're always happy to see construction replacing a surface parking lot. And who knows, maybe one of the future homeowners will host the occasional peek-a-boo review.
Hey, it could happen.