Apparently 332-34 W. Girard Ave. was a pizza shop called P&S Pizza once upon a time, but we cannot remember a time that it was in business in the last decade. In our memory, this property has just been sitting empty, slowly looking worse as the years have passed. Chipped paint, a fading sign, and sagging awnings were all part of a look that screamed “the rest of this corridor might be improving, but here, it’s still 1997.”

It should come as no surprise that the building racked up some violations over the years, and in one case, we see that the owners of the property successfully fought against a designation that the building was a blighting influence. Neat trick.

But wait, we passed by the property recently and noticed that it’s getting renovated. Sakes alive! This major renovation effort includes interior and exterior work and could portend a new business opening up shop here. That’s all the info we have at the moment, though if someone in the neighborhood knows something more, we encourage them to speak up on the matter. For the record, we would have rather seen the one story building demolished and replaced with a mixed-use building. But hey, it’s not our property and (technically) none of our business.

You may recall, this wasn’t the only blighted property at the intersection of Orianna & Girard. A few months back, we told you about some long blighted buildings on the north side of the street which were finally getting renovated. Checking in today though, we see that the renovation has barely progressed since we visited in January. It’s disappointing that construction is hardly moving forward over there, and we wonder what’s gumming up the works. The retail spaces in these buildings are still available for lease for $3K/month, but the estimated completion date is… tbd.

Here’s to hoping that the building on the south side of the street has a cool tenant in the works, and that the buildings on the north side of the street are completed in short order and also find some worthwhile tenants. This section of Girard Avenue is trending upward, and some new retail options would be a great amenity for residents in both Northern Liberties and South Kensington.