Back in June, we brought 1201 S. 21st St., a blighted building on the southeast corner of 21st and Federal Sts., to your attention. The one-story, former laundromat, has been owned by Young Lae Song since 1992, when he purchased it for $2,500.

Yuck

According to the Zoning Application that we recently noticed, change is on the way at this corner. The building will be torn down, and replaced by a newly built three story structure. The new building will have a vacant commercial space on the first floor and two apartments above. It’s not clear at this time whether the development will be done by the current owner or whether he’s in the process of selling the building to someone new. Also, we don’t imagine the commercial space has a tenant just yet.

While blight it still quite prevalent in this area, it definitely seems to be disappearing slowly but steadily. Just to the north, on Annin St., six new homes continue to progress toward completion. On the 2000 block of Federal St., several properties have been redone in recent months. Likewise on the 2000 block of Ellsworth St.

While we don’t think that this space is likely to turn into American Sardine Bar II, we’re definitely glad to see a blighted corner transformed. Even it it does have some weird looking houses across the street.

The same corner, in 1956