Watutsi II, located at the northwest corner of 45th and Locust Sts. in West Philly, is for sale for a mere $635K. The sale includes a ground floor bar/restaurant and an upstairs that needs serious renovation. The building is quite large, and the listing boasts of the possibility of multiple apartments upstairs. The intersection has two popular local standbys, with a Green Line location on the southeast corner and Abyssinia on the northeast corner. A business that replaces Watutsi II would have no shortage of customers from University City and Spruce Hill.

There she is

The bar was closed about six weeks ago, after neighborhood complaints to the councilwoman’s office led to Liquor Control Enforcement being called in. It’s not the first time the location or the owner has had trouble or been shutdown.

Watutsi II’s owner, Noel Karasanyi, owns two other establishments, Watutsi (number one), located at 46th and Walnut Sts. and the New Third World Lounge, at 4901 Catherine St. In addition his recent L & I woes, his past is littered with infractions and unpaid taxes and loans through all three businesses. There’s a personal injury suit, a suit from L & I, as well as a recent judgement for a substantial sum. Not to mention, he owes $67K in back taxes to the City on Watutsi II and $3,966 to the city for the New Third World Lounge. He is however, all paid up at Watutsi, except for the $12K he owes for this year.

A 2007 Philadelphia Weekly news/opinion piece revealed that Karasanyi owed more than $27K in back property taxes at the New Third World Lounge. It expressed neighbors’ concerns with noise and violence outside the bar, which also served as an eye-sore to the community in its tattered exterior state. Sometime after that piece ran, Karasanyi paid the back taxes on that property, but has not paid anything since.

Hopefully, someone will purchase Watutsi II sometime soon, and help Karasanyi to get himself current on the money he owes to the city and other creditors. And maybe they’ll clean up the space and open a cool new spot, to boot. Here’s hoping…

–Lou Mancinelli