A few months back, we told you about a new Middle Eastern place that’s opening at 1939 Front St., near the Berks St. El Station. From the looks of the new awnings that have gone up, this place should be opening sooner rather than later. And it will serve juice!

Coming soon

At the time, we noticed the former Ninth National Bank building, a very attractive but blighted property across the street. We told you that it’s owned by Women’s Community Revitalization Project, and could possibly be subject to demolition. According to a zoning notice brought to our attention by reader @christoofar215, the building’s demolition might be coming up soon.

Front of the building

Looking up

Side of the building. We're guessing water is getting in there.

According to the zoning application, the building will be demolished and replaced by thirteen new construction buildings with twenty five units and a community center. Also included will be ten off street parking spaces. This an affordable housing development, Nitza Tufino Townhomes, has been in the works for a couple of years. According to Local Initiatives Support Corporation, the project will include a number of green features, though the homes won’t be LEED certified.

This thread on Fishtown.us states that FNA and EKNA, two community groups that converge on the other side of Front St., across from this property, have not been notified about this project. NSCA, the third community group with an interest in this property, likely knows about the development, since they were the ones who sold the property to WCRP. Interestingly, the zoning notice, from what we could tell, was only posted on the Hope St. side of the building, making it almost completely unnoticeable for passersby. Was this a willful action to minimize community notification? Or simply an oversight? Or did someone tear the notice off the front of the building?

The only zoning notice we found

It would obviously be a terrible shame to see this building, which has so much potential, be torn down. Would it be possible to rehab it into apartments? Or would that be prohibitively expensive? Does its less-than-desirable location under the El make it easier to swallow to possibly lose this building? What do you think?