A reader asked us if we had any info about a vacant lot, 539-45 N 10th St., in the Spring Garden/Spring Arts neighborhood. There’s a salon immediately to the south, a new construction mixed-use building to the north, and future phases of the Spring Arts Point development just beyond that.

Vacant lot

Salon next door

Looking north. Spring Arts Point sign in the distance

While there are certainly not a shortage of vacant lots in this area, many of these lots have some sort of signage at least indicating plans for the future or availability for sale. No such luck here.

According to public record, the lots are owned by James Colosimo, who purchased the lots for a pittance in the 80’s and 90’s. Seeing that name, we knew we has seen it somewhere before. And then we remembered.

Current view of 933 Spring Garden St.

Same place, a few years back. Image from Philadelphia Neighborhoods blog.

Yes, it’s the same James Colosimo that owned a gun shop on Spring Garden St. for almost sixty years, until he plead guilty in 2009 to charges of allowing straw purchases at his store. Turns out, Colosimo also owns the building right behind the vacant lots mentioned above. That building was (and isn’t anymore, right?) Colosimo’s Target Range. Colosimo owns a total of fourteen properties in this neighborhood, and we don’t know whether he’s looking to sell them any time soon.

Which is a shame, because the empty lots have gotten considerably more valuable in recent years. As have his seven storefronts on the 900 block of Spring Garden St.

Hopefully, Colosimo will sell off his 10th St. lots in the near future, and allow more development to flourish in this up-and-coming neighborhood. We’ll see…