Architecturally, West Philadelphia has some of the most interesting buildings in town. Standard Philly row homes, Old Victorians, Greco-Roman inspired buildings, and plenty of other styles line the streets of West Philly, distinguishing it from much of South Philly, for example. We were on the 4600 block of Sansom Street yesterday investigating a reader tip, and came upon 4622 Sansom St., a vacant lot. Next door looks like a building that was once a twin to this property. A photo from Phillyhistory.org confirms this.

Missing twin

The now-demolished building in 1954

The corner lot has been vacant for at least a decade, and the home next door looks to be much worse for the wear of having lost its neighbor. Across the street, a building constructed in a similar style remains intact, though with perhaps a little too much vinyl.

The one next door looks awful

View across the street

The vacant corner lot was purchased back in 2010 for $35K so it's theoretically possible that a new home will get built here at some point in the near future. Hopefully, if that day ever comes, it will be combined with the renovation of the building next door and will include an effort to match the property's architectural history. A more standard-looking new construction building in this location would look kind of goofy, and the opportunity to hearken back to the previous style would definitely be enticing. Let us hope it happens soon and the developer does it right.