We were in the area and noticed some new windows on some old looking warehouse (or factory) buildings at 1639-43 N Hancock St. (half a block below Cecil B. Moore Ave.), in Kensington. Making certain that these windows haven’t been there for years, we put on our two-years-ago glasses and took a peek at Google Maps.

Looks terrible

So yeah, these windows are relatively new.

About a year ago, Voloshin Devs LLC purchased these two buildings, along with some land around the corner, for $600K. Doing a little digging, we discovered that the person behind Voloshin Devs LLC is Leo Voloshin, one of the owners of Printfresh, a textile design company located at 155 Cecil B. Moore Ave.

Current image

Another

Fixing up these massive but poorly maintained buildings is a growing trend in this part of town, as redevelopment leaks to the north from Northern Liberties and to the west from Fishtown. With Kensington’s rich industrial history, it’s meaningful to see that link remain through the neighborhood’s architecture.

We don’t really have any specific information about what’s going on in these particular warehouses, but we’re pleased to see that they’re being upgraded and will apparently remain. Kudos to Mr. Voloshin.

Will Printfresh move to these warehouses? Will the warehouses instead be rented out as office space? Apartments? We haven’t been able to get in touch with the owners to find out. Does anyone out there have any insight?

And as a matter of curiosity, does anyone know anything about the businesses that once called these buildings home?