On Green Street in the Spring Garden neighborhood, it's a common sight to see former mansions converted into apartment buildings. In recent years, a couple of former churches have also gone through this transformation. To this point, though, we don't believe it's happened to any former convents. But that's exactly what appears to be on the horizon for the former Saint Francis Xavier convent at 2324 Green St., which happens to sit on a giant chunk of land around the corner from the Art Museum.
If you live in this area, you've surely passed by this old building, which was once associated with the gorgeous Saint Francis Xavier Church on the north side of the street. While the former convent pales in comparison to the church, its stone facade has a unique and historic look, different from anything else in the area.
A couple of years ago, according to Philadelphia Speaks, the convent was listed for sale. It wasn't until earlier this year, however, that developers purchased the building and the lot it sits on for a tidy $2.8M. They've pulled permits for interior demolition, and to convert the building into eighteen residential units. In addition, they've subdivided the parcel into three properties, which suggests that they'll be building at least one if not two additional buildings in the future. After all, considering the price they paid, they're going to need way more than eighteen apartments to have this investment pay off. While it's wonderful that the old building is being preserved and reused, we're prehaps even more interested to learn what's to come on the rest of the parcel. As soon as we get word, we'll be sure to pass it along.